Rocky Mountain Google Apps Summit: August 2-3

Hi all!

Your's truly has been selected to present at the Rocky Mountain Google Apps Summit, in Boulder, Colorado, on August 2nd and 3rd! The conference will feature loads of presentations by fellow Google Certified Teachers and Google Apps EDU Certified Trainers and will be applicable for all Google-ing levels!

Take my presentation, for example:

Bring Your Classroom Into The 21st Century With Google Apps!

Collaboration! Communication! Critical Thinking! Creativity! Transforming teaching is never easy, and it has never been more necessary than today. Our classrooms are full of students who learn in vastly different ways than we ever did and we must adapt! This session will show participants how they can easily incorporate the four Cs of 21st Century Learning by using Google Apps through actual, practical, classroom-tested examples. 

I don't know when it will be, just yet, so plan on coming to both days! Check out their website for more information!

Have a happy day!

Google World Wonders Project

Google has done it again!

They have used their Street-View technology to bring you up close and personal with the wonders of the world! For us teachers, it is awesome that they have also included teachers guides for all levels.

Read about it here:

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/

Also, check out this video:





And while you are at it, don't forget the Google Art Project. Same concept, but involving the worlds greatest museums.

Check it out here: http://www.googleartproject.com/


THANK YOU GOOGLE!!!

Socrative: I can't believe it is free!

Hi all!

Thanks to a fellow teacher, I have been turned on to Socrative. You need to check this out now! Seriously! Stop what you are doing, open another tab, and go see what they are offering teachers!

Socrative is a FREE Web 2.0 student response system that turns any device connected to the internet into a "clicker." I know, you probably have something else you currently use, but check out these highlights:

• Create custom "quizzes" made up of multiple choice, true/false, and SHORT ANSWER!

• Socrative has a custom "Exit Ticket" that students can complete.

• A report listing students' answers can either be downloaded or emailed to you as an Excel file.

• Socrative works with any device connected to the internet. I tried it with my Blackberry Curve and it worked awesome! That's saying something...

• For iOS users, there are free student and teacher apps.

• "Space Race" allows you to turn a quiz into a game.

• You don't need to type in questions. Just ask them "on the fly" and have students type in their answers.


Watch this video to learn a bit more:




Have a happy day!

Chromebook vs. iPad Start-up Race

So I started up my iPad 2 and my Chromebook at the same time.

The Chromebook blew the iPad away in start up time.

Now...to be fair...you don't always have to shut down the iPad when you are done in class. So, this might not be as huge of a factor as one might think.

But the race wasn't even close.

Have a happy day!

Chromebooks

I love my job!

I am an Instructional Coach for my district and I am responsible for assisting teachers in the areas of curriculum, instruction, assessment, and technology integration. This last charge means that, in the effort to find quality technology to meet instructional and learning needs, I GET TO PLAY WITH SOME REALLY COOL THINGS!

Yesterday, I received a couple of Chromebooks to get to know, use with students and teachers, and to see if they would be an adequate tool for our students. The only time I have used a Chromebook was at my Google Teacher Academy in Seattle this past summer. At the time, I put it aside and used my MacBook Pro because I experienced some obstacles immediately. But, in fairness, the GTA was moving quick and I needed to be on familiar ground.

Full disclosure, here...we have a lot of iPads in our district and a lot of iPad fanatics. I love my iPad! I think it could be a great possibility for a 1:1 program. When it first came out, I was very skeptical of the iPad, but as Apple has responded to the education needs, the skepticism has lightened. Not gone...but lightened.

So, as I get to know this machine, I am going to share with you my findings, likes, and dislikes.

So far...

LIKES
1. I like that it has a keyboard
2. Google Docs works awesome
3. Quick start-up
4. I like the idea of the Search Key. However...I miss the caps-lock key it replaced (see my dislikes)

DISLIKES
1. No caps-lock key. You can do it, but it is an "Easter Egg." (press both shift keys simultaneously)
2. Not as intuitive as an iPad. iPods, iPhones, and Macs have helped to train us in that, though.
3. Not all Google products work. How do you create a machine and not have a way to use all of your products?

It will be interesting to get teachers' input on this because their frustration with iPads comes from the inability to run tried-and-true Flash websites and an awkward keyboard. Further, I look forward to seeing if there are viable alternatives to Apple's iLife Suite that will allow kids to be as creative.

I will keep playing and keep sharing my thoughts and those of my teachers.

Have a happy day!

21st Century Skills: Critical Thinking

So my basset hound, Louie, had a problem. Our other dog, Josie, had the bone that he wanted. Josie realized this and began to taunt Louie with the bone by getting nose-to-nose with him and then yanking the bone away at the last minute. Unbeknownst to me, Louie began to create a plan and the following video makes it clear that he was going to exploit her weakness. You need to know, as Louie did, that Josie's favorite thing in the world is her ball. She goes everywhere with it and Louie never...EVER...plays with a ball. So the following is what occurred:

Louie used reasoning and creativity to solve his problem. He even went so far as to wag his tail as to show that he was really enjoying playing with the ball. He also knew that if he kicked the ball a short distance Josie would go after it. When she did, he would make his move and take the bone!

How often do we, as teachers, just simply give the answer to the question without letting the students find the answer? We do this constantly because it is the most efficient method and I can't say that I blame anyone for choosing this route because time is precious in the classroom.

However, think about how we learn as babies. Our learning is mainly through exploration and the use of all of our senses. A baby learns what something is by grabbing it and putting it in their mouth. Toddler's learn through both verbal instructions from parents and through their own investigation. Sometimes they have to bump their head in order to learn to not do a certain action.

When students get into the 21st Century K-12 classroom, we need to continue this style of learning. Teachers need to give information and guidance but we also need to allow the students to explore and experience on their own and using their own means. The 21st Century Student will need to be able to demonstrate the following:

• Utilize the appropriate reasoning skill for the situation.


• Analyze part-to-whole relationships and understand how the parts work together to create the whole.


• Evaluate and interpret information for validity, credibility, and viability.


• Exercise effective self-reflection.


• Ability to ask clarifying questions to help find solutions.


• Solve new problems using established practices as well as through new ones.

Problem solving! When I think about this I always think about the Apollo 13 mission when the C02 levels were climbing and the astronauts needed to make a square filter fit into a round hole using the materials on board:

Now these guys were able to do this because they spent most of their lives in a lab where experimentation, cause-effect relationships, and inductive and deductive reasoning is the norm. How can we get this into an English class? How can we get this into a Social Studies class? How can we incorporate this into all curricular areas?

To begin with, we need to create an environment where "failure" is not an end, but an opportunity. We need to encourage kids to take chances. It is not always about "the right answer" but rather how we react to the "wrong" ones. Further, we need to break the mold of the teacher being the only source of information and answers. When our dads used to say "look it up" when we asked a question, they had the right idea. We have gotten away from that. Finally, allow kids to be creative (a little foreshadowing here...) in how they demonstrate their knowledge. Give them a problem to solve and allow them to solve it how they choose. Not everything needs to be summed up in a paper or PowerPoint presentation.

I hate cliches (yet I use one as the title of this blog...ironic) but the idea of the teacher moving from "the sage on the stage to the guide on the side" is applicable. We need to teach kids how to think for themselves and not wait for someone else to give them the answer.

Have a happy day!

21st Century Skills: Collaboration

Collaboration is not a new concept in the workforce. People work in teams in every profession yet most of the work done in schools is focused on individual productivity. And while that is an important skill, employers have been pointing out that we need to do more in education to produce an individual who can be self-sufficient but who can also work as part of a team. And bare in mind that the team might never meet in the same country, let alone in the same room.

In the 21st Century, we need students to be able to:

• Work effectively and efficiently with diverse teams on a common goal.


• Be flexible and willing to compromise


• Share responsibility for collaborative work and respect others' work in the project.


I spent 15 years as a classroom teacher and I know the immediate "red flag" that pops up when we start talking about "group work" is the concern of one person shouldering all of the responsibility and doing all the work. This is a real and reasonable concern. Technology can help facilitate collaboration and lessen this concern more than ever before. Web 2.0 applications are being developed to specifically meet collaborative needs, and within most of these applications is the ability to see a revision history. This allows the teacher to see who did what parts of the final product. This isn't "a silver bullet" (as the blog title says) in that you can't be 100% certain that a student didn't just login and have his older brother do the work. We can't guarantee that with any homework we assign, however.

So what technology is out there to help facilitate collaboration? Here is a short, yet powerful, list:

Technology Tools To Support Collaboration

• Google Apps - Google is synonymous with collaboration. Everything one can create in Google Apps (documents, spreadsheets, presentation, drawings, forms, etc.) were meant to be shared and collaborated on easily.

• Prezi - An engaging presentation tool that makes PowerPoint look archaic. Multiple users can work on the same "prezi."

• Skype - Video communication where many classes have begun to share and work together.

• Evernote - Online note-taking application that allows one to share notes.

• Wikis  - These can be created in many applications. I use either Google Docs or Wikispaces

• Wall Wisher  - online "Sticky Note" application great for brainstorming.

• Lino  - online "Sticky Note" application great for brainstorming.

Instructional Strategies To Support Collaboration

• Cooperative Learning
• Jigsawing
• Discussion Boards
• Partners: Think/Pair/Share, Tell/ReTell


Remember, we need not replace the individual work with group work, but find places within the curriculum to utilize collaboration. Don't reinvent the wheel...find existing projects and modify them slightly to be more collaborative. It is easier than you might think!

Have a happy day!