Findings at the AEA 267 Technology Integrationist Meeting

Findings at the AEA 267 Technology Integrationist Meeting shows that Hampton-Dumont, compared to other schools, has some technology areas to improve on, but is excelling in many areas of technology that we should feel accomplished about, yet wanting to further achieve more.

Areas to Improve on
Using software, applications, online tools to promote student learning, K-12
Using Google Forms for formative and summative assessments including Semester Tests to try and make testing a more paperless environment
Exploring the possibility of iPads
1:1 Laptop Classroom Management
Returning students documents paperlessly (Google Docs Collections is a possibility)

Areas we are Excelling
Teachers use of technology through Tech PDs
Teachers showcasing their use of technology through Tech PDs
Uses of Bulldog Byte in classrooms and outside of classrooms
Using the 1:1 Laptops
Turning in student documents through SchoolFusion

3 Technology Resolutions for 2012

A few things to try out with Technology for the 2012 year and the rest of the 2011-2012 school year.

Find or be an edtech mentor/friend with another educator at your school.
     You most likely have a mentor/friend that you converse with related to teaching and learning.  Use that same mentor/fried or find another mentor/friend that you feel comfortable using technology with to be a edtech mentor/fried when you need help or support with technology personally and/or with students.

Try Twitter (really!)  www.twitter.com
     I have been user twitter for the past year, without even personally posting a comment, and have gained numerous ideas and thoughts related to technology and a variety of educational topics.
Try searching and following #edtech or #edchat when you setup a Free account.


Join a Professional EdTech Network
     I have recently done this but have not explored it enough.  Very similar to how local Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) might be setup between you and your colleagues, try joining an online Professional EdTech Network to receive emails or notifications with ideas and content related to your interests.  Below are some to look into.
www.iste.org
www.edupln.org 


Thoughts and ideas gathered from: http://www.guide2digitallearning.com/blog_jim_vanides/3_edtech_tips_resolutions_2012

Tech&Learning Web Sites - 2011

Listed below are 2011 web site reviews from Tech & Learning broken down into educational categories.  If you have time to take a look at just 1 that is better than nothing.

iPad Resources
A Catalog of iPad Apps for Teachers and Students » 
Top 10 iPad Tips & Tricks »
iPads, iPod Touches, and iPhones as Assistive Technology in Education »
Back-to-School Apps for Teachers »
Involve, Prepare, Apply, and Develop: iPads in the Classroom »

Video, Clip Art, Images Resources
Top 10 Sites for Images and Clip Art »
Top 10 Alternatives to YouTube » 
Photo Ops: 10 Innovative Ways to Use Visual Media »
Top 10 Sites for Video Editing »

Teacher Resources
Top 100 Sites of 2011 »
Top 10 Sites for Educational Games »
Top 25 Web 2.0 Sites for Education »
Web Tools that Every Educator Should Have in the Bag » 
Top 10 Sites for Educational Resources »
Top 10 Self Help Sites for Technology »
Upgrade your KWL Chart to the 21st Century »


Student Resources
A Math Hater’s Five Fave Math Resources »

Digital Storytelling Tools »

E-textbooks made available offline »

Top 10 Sites for Creating Word Clouds »

6th Graders Using Numbers

This morning I worked with a 6th grade teacher who introduced Numbers to her Math students for the purpose of them understand how to enter data in a spreadsheet, take that data and turn it into a graph, and from the data type a conclusion paragraph interpreting the data.  The lesson went very well and the students caught on quickly about the purpose and uses of Numbers, and about the functions Numbers provides.  Most people do not like exploring software that deals with spreadsheets, but these students really seemed to enjoy plotting their 10 day weather forecast, turning that information into a double line graph, and then writing a conclusion paragraph as if they were report the forecast for the next 10 days.
Definitely something I did not expect going into the classroom, as my previous experiences with Numbers or Excel with students have not boded well, but I underestimated.

I will be joining another teacher on Wednesday teaching the same lesson.  So it will again be interesting to see how the students handle Numbers and how they learn the purpose and uses of Numbers.

Technology Tools Advent Calendars

The season of Advent is always filled with eagerness and expectancy.  Build some of that anticipation into your school day by allowing students or yourself to unlock a new secret on the advent calendar each day.  Use these advent calendars with the whole class on an interactive whiteboard or projector, or set them up as a quick center activity that students can visit.  Use the advent calendars that reveal a story to practice looking for foreshadowing clues, using context clues to guess what will happen next, or as story starters for students own stories.  

The potential curricular related advent calendars are wonderful for teaching students some of the history of Christmas and the way that other cultures celebrate the familiar holiday.  

The technology tools advent calendars showcase a different Web 2.0 Technology Tool each day for teacher use, student use or both.

Technology Tools Advent Calendars

http://www.wix.com/ktenkely/advent

http://www.librarycraft.com/festive24things/2010/12/01/

Potential Curricular related Advent Calendars

http://dirtdirt.com/advent/09/?tillchristmas
Click on a number and an animation will be added to the tree.

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Xmas/calendar/index.html#calendar
This is a fun way for students to test their knowledge and learn about the ways that Christmas is celebrated all around the world.  As an extension, plot the places around the world that they are learning about on a world map.

5th Graders Using iMovie

About 2-3 weeks ago I was emailed by Mrs. Harr and Mrs. Carr to provide some ideas related to using iMovie in their 5th grade classroom so students can report on a mystery book they have read.  Instead of kids typing out their report about the book, the used iMovie to express their report about the book for others to view and learn from.  I was in their classroom each day for 1 full week for 1 hour at a time.
The 1st day I introduced iMovie and they were able to play around with it, while having the opportunity to create their Book title slide, Author title slide, and Reviewed By title slide for the start of their iMovie project.  Mrs. Harr and Mrs. Carr provided them with a checklist of iMovie skills that they had to try out and use to get graded on.
The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th days the students kept working on their iMovie while adding their video recorded book review of their mystery book through the web cam on the laptops.  The students then were able to add music or sound effects to their iMovie project, before finalizing it on the 5th day and getting it onto Mrs. Harr's computer for her to look at and then showcase.

It took some time trying to figure out the right web site tool to be able to showcase each students finished product, but we finally found 1 that was free, so far has no limit on storage space and is easy to use.

It is: http://www.capzles.com/

and the students finished products are here:
http://www.capzles.com/#/4abfa7ac-e811-4b88-b019-d0f280f41def

Take a look.

Before Thanksgiving Break

Well, I almost reached my goal of showcasing technology skills to all Kindergarten - 5th grade classrooms, 26 of them, before Thanksgiving break, but came 2 classes short.  Thank You so much to all of the classroom teachers that replied back to my email and set up a time with different technology activities and skills.  Hopefully I can catch all of the teachers next time I set up this endeavor, maybe between the start of the New Years and Valentine's Day.

Kindergarten classrooms focused on a couple online activities, but more importantly how to use the laptops, plug in the headphones, how to get to the Internet, and how to put them away.
Their online activities were:
http://www.readwritethink.org/search/?resource_type=16
http://www.abcya.com/

Helping out Teachers

The best reward people appreciate after helping someone out, is seeing the response, facial expression, and emotions from that person as to how they are thankful for the help.  This is the best reward I can get from students and staff, and I have been getting more and more of them.  I appreciate the opportunity to help students and staff out and I appreciate their thankful responses after they have been helped.  I appreciate being able to go into the classrooms and teach to the students and the staff.  I appreciate meeting with staff members just to give them 1 more aspect of technology that could spark their interest and their student's knowledge.  I appreciate the opportunity to just come into the classrooms for a few minutes, just to get ideas to better help teachers integrate technology into another part of their learning.  And I appreciate the opportunity to get staff members to become comfortable with just 1 new technology integration concept.

I guess what I am trying to say is don't be afraid to ask for help, keep on getting help and learning, and start to become more comfortable with asking others, including your students for help.  Providing students with real-world experiences of helping and problem solving is what generates their learning and sparks their excitement for learning.  Allowing them to feel they are wanted and needed dispenses a different type of energy that drives them to search more, problem solve more and help more.

This is what the Bulldog Byte team at Hampton-Dumont High School is striving towards.  Being the go to personnel for students and staff, being able to problem solve a situation yet knowing that it can not always be solved, and becoming comfortable with helping out staff and especially their peers.

Please keep on using myself as the Technology Integrationist and the Bulldog Byte team at the High School for your technology needs.