- Blogs are a great discussion tool. After reading one of our blog posts you can click on the Comment Link near the title at the top of the post. Enter your Name, Email, and Comment then click Submit.
- Don't forget to click on the Comments Link when you notice that others have commented. Sometimes the best information is found in the discussion.
Learning together - Making Effective TEchnology Integration a Two Way Street #1phasd #phsedtech12/8/2015 As our Port Huron Schools Technology Integration Website, Blog, and Social Media Networks develop we want to extend an invitation to all of you to actively participate in sharing your expertise as practitioners. There are several ways to contribute to the conversation. Today we'll look at adding a comment to one of our blog posts.
0 Comments
If you've been anywhere except under a rock for the past several years, you've probably heard of the movement of Game-based Learning (GBL) and it's effect on the classroom environment.
In my last few years in the classroom I, personally, transferred as much of my classroom instruction into GBL format as I could. The reactions were quite interesting and varied from both my peers and my students. My best example is the game of Kahoot that I played every Friday afternoon with my students. After only a few weeks, it was rare that I ever had a student absent Fridays, even if they were not feeling well. Students looked forward to the game and I was able to use that in all of the other areas of my classroom management. On the other hand, I would have co-workers ask me, " How do you have time to play GAMES (yes, said in THAT tone of voice) when I don't even have enough time to get all of the curriculum taught?" After stopping myself from answering with a not-so-nice comment, I normally would start explaining myself by using the definition for Game-based Learning: Game-based Learning - a type of game play that has defined learning outcomes. Generally, game-based learning is designed to balance subject matter with gameplay and the ability of the player to retain, and apply said subject matter to the real world. Source: Wikipedia If, by then, they hadn't already walked out of my room rolling their eyes, I would go on to explain that all of my activities were based off of my end result of what I wanted my students learning and that I probably spent more time preparing my "game" than any lesson taught straight out of "the book." Starting with my end result in mind, I would design my Kahoot game around the concept my students needed to understand and I would incorporate the concept into real-world understanding. (yes, I threw in just plain fun questions in addition to randomize it, so they wouldn't realize they were learning) If I STILL had my co-workers attention, I would continue explaining to them that, in addition, I was able to assess my students' knowledge by observation and data analysis during this half hour on Fridays and it helped guide my instruction for the following week. Lastly, if they were still interested enough to be listening to me, I usually showed them the data I had collected (ranging from scratched notes to graphs, spreadsheets, etc.) over that year and the previous years. That information helped shape my classroom instruction, not only for the current year, but, by comparing it to previous years, I was able to improve my students' understanding on a continual basis. I also believe that forced me to reexamine my instructional methods on a continuous basis and made me a better teacher in the end! Most of the time, though, I lost their interest as soon as I showed them the definition, because they had already made up their mind I was just playing another one of my GAMES...... If you've not considered trying Game-based Learning in your classroom, I highly recommend it. If you're not sure how to get started, I recommend the following video by Alice Keeler: Getting Started with Games Based Learning (Click here to view) via Jim Leishman - Technology Integration Specialist Port Huron Schools - Tomorrow\'s Innovators http://ift.tt/1TvKc1U Teachers: we would like to help you show off the ways in which you are using technology with students in your classrooms. Of course we as tech integration specialists can promote tools you can use to help keep students engaged, to help provide creative expression and much more. But we know that many of you are already doing some amazing things with technology (both inside and outside the walls of your classrooms), and not everyone knows about it. One of the most effective ways we can help you share what your students are doing is through video. The theme of this month's newsletter is "Celebrate and Share," and we have cameras ready. Sharing how you use technology with your classes spreads the word to other educators about what great tools are available. Video can also provide examples of how students are learning in new and unique ways. Maybe you have a lesson using technology that you wouldn't mind sharing with colleagues and even the world, but you don't have the equipment to record it. No problem. We can make it happen. Just give one of us a call or an e-mail (Mark, Jim or Kit). We will work with you to set up a date for recording, and can put together a video to share what you're doing. Videos can be uploaded to online services like YouTube, Facebook, Google+ and Vimeo for others to see. It is a perfect way to network and show off what you do, as well as learn from others. No other medium these days is as effective nor as popular of a learning tool as video, and we'd like to help you to facilitate its use in various ways. Not just by recording you and your classes, but also through screencasting (video tutorials). We can offer tools to get you started in flipping your classroom and using video to help your students learn both inside and outside of the classroom. We can teach you how to create a screencast and where to post it so your students can see your videos from any device anywhere. If video is a window to the world, then we are your windows to using video in your classrooms and to show off your use of technology to others. As of this post, we have already recorded three teachers who are doing great things with their students. Just take a look at this month's featured video for one example, and one below is our latest. We would like you to be next. The why (Simplicity)
Strong visual imagery paired with a few choice words can be one of the most effective strategies for telling stories and teaching new concepts. But too often we try to cram multiple images and paragraphs worth of text onto a single page or slide when presenting information or sharing.
Too much - Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires The what (Haiku Deck)
Haiku Deck is an iPad app and web based application for creating simple, beautiful and fun presentation slides that focus on highlighting a few key words and pairing this with high impact, high quality images that are licensed for re-use. This presentation style supports the idea of presentation zen.
Haiku Deck helps you quickly create a slide using pre-set themes, simple formatting, and a powerful image search tool that analyzes the text you've used to suggest topics for your search. The majority of the images available through the Haiku Deck search engine are licensed under Creative Commons, meaning that they are available for re-use when cited. The best part is that Haiku Deck automatically adds the citation to each image for you. Other features include the ability to create bulleted and numbered lists, graphs and charts as well as add notes for providing extended information. The key here is simplicity. There are no animations, no sound effects, no complex formatting tools. Creating an account is easy and sharing Haiku Deck presentations is a snap using email, hyperlinks, or even exporting slides into Power Point (pro-only). The how (Learn more here)
This month our PHS Instructional Technology team is focussing on productivity tools and strategies for the classroom. Many teachers have started using QR Codes as a way of helping students quickly access online resources without the time and errors students often make trying to manually type web links. QR stands for Quick Response and essentially works like a barcode scanner at the grocery store. QR codes are a great way to set up a blended classroom if you use a rotation model or stations. You can have students access a QR code linked to a learning resource and then another QR code to a Google Form to formatively assess their understanding and create accountability. This model can free up instructional time to do small group instruction or provide just in time personalized support during independent practice. So what about this "One Click QR Code"? The video tutorial and steps outlined below will help you set up a bookmarklet on your browser's bookmarks bar that turns any web resource or video in to an instant QR code. There are tons of other QR Code apps and extensions out there, but this QR code generator is fast and also very large which makes it perfect for projecting on your interactive whiteboard. Students can easily open QR codes using iPads and mobile devices, but did you know you can also have students scan QR codes on a Chromebook? Have students install this QR Code Extension, then click "scan a QR code", and be sure to click the "Allow access to webcam" message. Now the Chromebook camera is ready to be used as a QR Scanner! Video Directions
With parent-teacher conferences just around the corner, why not use technology to help you schedule conference time slots? Calendly is an online tool that can help you do this. Click on the free sign up button and sign up with your district Google account. Then you won't have to remember an additional password. Free Account Limitations Your premium account lasts for the first 14 days, just long enough to get parents signed up for 10 or 15-minute time slots. The free Calendly account allows users to use one specific "Event Type" (or time block). This means one specific amount of time for the time blocks (example: 10 minutes or 15 minutes). The free account forces you to stick with that amount of time for all subsequent appointments. With this background information out of the way, here is how it works: Event Types First, you will set your availability preferences. Using your 14-day Premium account, you will have access to more than one Event Type length. After that point, you are downgraded to just one event type time, but you can still create as many dates as you want with that same duration. You will start by clicking Event Types on the top menu bar. Then, as you can see from the picture below, you can either turn On or turn Off the different Durations (10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, etc.). For Parent-Teacher Conferences, you may find it easier to just click the "Add event type" button in the top right corner and create your own customized event type. You will get a choice of "One-on-One" (such as a conference) or "Group" (such as a webinar or an online class). I created a one-on-one event type called Parent-Teacher Conferences and I made the duration 10 minutes. You will choose an "Event Link" such as calendly.com/[username]/conferences This is the link that parents can use to see your available time slots. Other choices include "Add/Edit Questions for Invitee" and you should add a custom question such as "Your son/daughter's name," since this question is not included by default. An E-mail address question is not necessary, since that field is automatically included when parents fill out your form. This quick video shows how to create the sign-up sheet for parents to use, clearly showing each of the steps below. Availability and Intervals As you scroll down the choices, you will come to the Availability section, with various days and times. You should turn Off each day and time that doesn't apply to the Parent-Teacher Conferences, leaving only the days and times when you are available. Here is an example of a Wednesday night conference schedule where I use an interval, so that a different conference starts every 15 minutes. You can also add another interval for day conferences when you might want to add a one-hour lunch break from 12:00 to 1:00 and then resume conferences at 1:00 pm. Sharing the Sign-Up Sheet with Parents, and the Calendar Connection So, how do you share this sign-up schedule with parents? You can share it through a Google Form, through your classroom website, your Google Classroom, or by emailing the parents. Just go up to your account menu in the top right corner (the little head icon) and click once. A pull-down menu appears and you can Email Calendly URL or Copy Calendly URL. The "Email Calendly URL" link opens your Gmail and lets you send the link directly to any parent emails or contact groups you set up in your Gmail Contacts. "Calendar connection," found directly below the email option lets you choose which of your Google Calendars you want to use to schedule your Calendly events. Any parent who picks one of your open time slots will automatically be added to your Google Calendar and that time slot will be used up, leaving only the remaining time slots from which parents can choose. Here are the options under your Account, found in the top right corner menu: Share your personal Calendly links with parents, students and colleagues. For example, my Conferences link would be https://calendly.com/mrepp/conferences (or) https://calendly.com/mrepp/conferences/11-18-2015 if I want parents to see just that particular date's conference schedule and its currently-open time slots. This is a particularly helpful tip if you just want to show the available slots for one day only. Parents will pick a time from the list of available slots, and the event is then added to your Google Calendar. Here is an example of a Parent-Teacher Conference event set up in 10-minute blocks. When the parent clicks on your time Start Times circles, this reveals all of your open slots, from which the parent then can click to make an appointment. Here is what they will see: The Dashboard The Dashboard is the Home screen that teachers will see when they first open up Calendly and click on their account. This shows all of the current appointments that the teacher has in one concise view. Here is an example: The crossed-out conference was cancelled on the parent's end by clicking the Cancel link within their original e-mail message. Both parents and the teacher can cancel a conference, which then shows up crossed out on the teacher's dashboard and in his/her Google Calendar. This slot remains crossed out until the appointment has been filled by another parent. The Dashboard cannot be seen by anyone except the teacher.
To get additional help, check out the Calendly Knowledge Base which has an extensive Help section on a variety of topics. This excellent YouTube video playlist of Calendly tutorials shows every aspect of the program. Learn how to set up the sign-up form, add custom questions for parents to see (such as a "Your Child's Name" field), set intervals and more. Each video is less than a minute in length and will really help you to get started. If you need one-on-one or group training, just contact one of our EdTech trainers to set up a session on how to use Calendly to meet your scheduling needs.
Here are two step-by-step tutorials on how to use Google Classroom to facilitate student peer editing. The slideshow and video tutorial show peer editing from both the writer and the editor points of view.
Don't wait!
Only 23 tickets remain for what is sure to be the BEST participant driven professional development opportunity this fall - Go to http://ift.tt/1LxudPC and register today.
EdCamps are new way of learning where you and the other participants who attend determine the focus of the day's learning. You can propose a discussion topic or offer to facilitate a session that you feel others would be interested in collaborating around. Facilitators are strongly encouraged to tap into the wisdom of the room rather than present a stand and deliver style lecture. And participants are strongly encouraged to use the "rule of two feet" if the session isn't meeting their need by politely excusing themselves from a session and then seeking out a better fit or creating an ad hoc gathering to meet their need.
What's new this year?
We are also planning to have a real live campfire with supplies for making S'mores, a chili cook-off contest, and fun challenge activities throughout the day that let you earn tickets for our fabulous giveaways.
via Ed Tech Kit http://ift.tt/1MtGt03 As the Google Chrome browser continues to evolve I have noticed that the old method of switching between Google Accounts can be glitchy. The old method (described here) involves clicking on your profile picture in upper right corner of most Google Apps products and adding an account(s). But I have found that switching between accounts this way doesn't always work and that Google Drive in particular will have issues. I recommend instead, that you use Chrome browser profiles to switch between multiple Google Accounts. To do this I recommend the following steps.
Switching between accounts using the Chrome Profile switch icon is a much tidier method of using multiple Google Accounts on the same computer. In fact, it's the absolute best method for a shared family computer where mom, dad, and all the kiddos have Google Accounts for work and school. You'll see separate desktop icons and task bar icons to help you access each separate account and distinguish between which account you are using (tip: be sure use unique profile pictures for each account). To view a video demonstration of the steps click here.
About 4 years ago, I was your typical teacher. I was teaching 5th grade and I was pretty good at integrating technology into my classroom. I was always looking for "new, shiny toys" for the classroom and I had gotten very good at being able to show my students "an inch deep" about how to use most forms of technology to help them in their daily classroom lives.
Then, I was introduced to a video created by Erik Qualman (@equalman) called "The Social Media Revolution" and I knew I had to concentrate in one particular area of technology and it's future in education: Social Media. Before I go any further, look at the video that he did back in 2011:
This video and the facts within it are now 5 years out of date, but they were staggering to me even then!
Here's a few new facts that have been updated since this video Facebook users could now be the largest country in the world, even in front of China! LinkedIn's age limit has been lowered to 13 (yes, that's correct....13!) 53% of Millennials surveyed would rather lose their sense of smell than their technology (I would be one of those!) More people own a mobile device than a toothbrush! Take a look at the latest updated video, complete January 2015:
These are the many reasons I changed from teaching my students and co-workers about all forms of technology and concentrated on Social Media in the classroom. I believe this is the future of education and you're either onboard or the train will drag you along unwillingly....there is no going back! Stay tuned for more from PHSEdTech. Jim Leishman Technology Integration Specialist Port Huron Schools [email protected] 810-388-0363 ext. 4018 via Jim Leishman - Technology Integration Specialist Port Huron Schools - Tomorrow\'s Innovators http://ift.tt/1G7vZXC |
Port Huron Instructional technology DepartmentArchives
October 2017
Categories
All
|