It's just...Padlet

I'm trying to write up a quick blog post this morning and while I know my topic...I don't have a fun, attention getting title.  Soooo...it's just about Padlet.

I've been a big fan of Padlet since it was Wall Wisher (or something like that)...it was a few years ago.  You seriously can't expect me to remember all the different names of various websites.  ;) So I was introduced to it as a part of my RPDP class with +Jerrad Barczyszyn.

*side note: I blame him for my love of ed tech...he showed me how interesting and exciting class could be with tech integration.  Thanks Jerrad.*

Right so...the point of this post:

Yesterday was day 1 of the second week of school...the first week was all half days...this week full days.  *I'm so tired!*

I teach technology to K-8 students.  Since last week was half days and I'm teaching a "special" I had no time to start with my typical Capturing Kids' Hearts Social Contract.  So that was the plan for this week.  However, I had to figure out how, exactly, to integrate technology into that.

Now, I realize and recognize and appreciate that technology doesn't always and shouldn't always be used...especially just for the sake of technology.  So if I was a homeroom teacher, I probably wouldn't have done this...but I'm the technology teacher.  I kind of think...I'm supposed to do it this way.

Typically, students will work in a small group, brainstorming words or phrases to the 4 questions that guide our social contract.  Instead of having us work in small groups, I had them work independently on Padlet.  The way I explained it was - instead of giving them all Post It Notes to stick on the wall with their words/phrases, they needed to post them on the Padlet.  Re: CKH...I explained that even if a word came up that they were going to use, they needed to write it too because I wanted them to be heard.  I wanted everyone to have a voice.

All in all, I'd say that it went pretty darn well!  6 classes...5 were scheduled to create the social contract...and only 1, due to poor choices, had to use the paper and pencil technique!  They seemed to enjoy it.

We will see how today goes!!  Have you used it?  What did you think?

 

Google "Keep"ing It Together

So life has been crazy to say the least this summer.

1) Wedding
2) House hunting
3) Cross country move
4) New job - new school
and all the unpacking and cleaning that comes with 3 and 4!!

So today I decided to stop for a minute and do a quick vlog on Google Keep.  It has literally helped me keep my brain from exploding.

Enjoy!

What can you use Google Keep for?

ISTE Resources - Social Media in EDU

I recently reposted a blog post that had access to the Haiku Deck I created for the ISTE 2016 poster session that a group of us presented at.

After a comment left by Alice, who was kind enough to visit our poster, she reminded me that we had some really awesome student created resources that I hadn't shared!

When we were planning for our poster session, we had a few brainstorming meetings and then started to divide up the jobs to complete the various tasks.  Keep in mind, that while our whole team was from Ohio, we were not from the same place.  So completing our tasks was a relatively independent project.

I created the presentation on +Haiku Deck that scrolled through on a screen that talked about ways you could use Social Media in education.  Then Marisa, who is an engineering teacher at Bio Med Science Academy, worked with her students to create the physical posters.  The students created the design, researched the statistics, and worked on the posters within Google.  I was thoroughly amazed at their work!

Please check out the posters from the students here:
Facebook
Flipboard
Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter
You Tube

Over all I think the poster went wonderfully and I can't say enough good things about the teachers that I was lucky enough to work with.  So to +Ben Clutter, +Salvatore Maiorana, +Marisa Manocchio, and +Brock Wysong...thanks for working so hard on this poster session.  You are amazing teachers and I am so lucky to have been able to work with you for +College Ready Ohio and for #ISTE2016!

Not Goodbye...

but rather, I'll see you later.

This week I am wrapping up my last week at Ohio State University.  It has been an incredible journey.  I was living in Las Vegas 2 years ago and I decided to pick up and make the move out to Ohio.  There were some personal reasons behind it, but professionally, to say that I worked at THE Ohio State...just WOW!  So when I was offered my job, I took it...no hesitation.

And WOW was right.  I met some AMAZING teachers that I will never forget.  I was fortunate enough to work with some of the TOP educational technology leaders.  Not to mention the inspirational and HILARIOUS College Ready Ohio team.

This week has been an emotional roller coaster.  I have laughed, cried, felt like nothing was changing and been blown away...literally in the matter of minutes.  IT'S ONLY TUESDAY!!  I'm going to be an emotional zombie by Saturday when I start the drive with my husband and father in law to head back to Las Vegas.

I wouldn't change it for the world.

Now, however, let me take a minute and look at this from a student perspective.  Our kids are not all stationary.  How many of us have kids that have left your class, you, their friends, and sometimes their family?  As an adult, if it's a struggle to make this kind of a change, when it was MY/YOUR/OUR own choice...imagine how hard it must be to have to deal with all of it and feel like you have NO choice.  

During my wrap up meeting with Ben, we talked about how it wasn't the LAST time we'd see each other...it would just be a very LONG time.  In order to keep from tears, I made a flip comment about us being Facebook friends.  Which, while it may seem insincere or vapid...it really does make me feel better.  I makes me feel as if the relationships that I have spent the last 2 years working on and building aren't gone forever.  I can reach out to anyone and see what's going on in their daily life.  As a military brat growing up, I was not able to do that and I lost many friends because we couldn't stay in communication about "nothing".  

Now I'm not necessarily suggesting that you become FB friends with your students.  I, personally, would recommend against that in fact.  However, what I am suggesting is use the social media platforms that are available to you to give your students a chance to stay in communication with you and their friends about the "nothings" that are happening.  Do you have a class FB page?  Do you have a class Instagram page?  What about a class Twitter account?  Even a class Snapchat might be worth looking into.  

The students will move and they will love their new teacher and they will make new friends.  But in this day and age of globally connected technology...goodbye doesn't have to be anything but I'll see you later.  

Pokemon Ideas

I have been playing Pokemon Go for the past 4-5 days.

I've seen the support from fellow educators and friends and I have seen the disapproval from fellow educators and friends as well.  I don't necessarily announce it to the world, but I'm kind of enjoying it. I'm also not going out walking trying to track them down.  I look when I'm sitting at my desk or walking to a meeting or walking my dog.  Right now, Pokemon hunting isn't my priority, but it is something fun to do for a brain break...along the lines of checking my Facebook or online shopping.*

*the kind where you put it in your shopping cart and then close the window...who's with me??


However, my brain has been endlessly (or at least it feels that way) processing and trying to figure out how to make use of this game that has so many people obsessed!

My non-educator friends will argue there is no educational purpose in the game.  I won't argue because, much like their profession - I don't understand their goals and focus, and they don't understand mine.  I'm not looking for a way to make throwing the pokeball (is that what it's called?) and catching the creator educational.  Yea...at it's base, this is not an educational game.  So, why not make it one?  Why not?

So I have done some reading and I have been (like I said) doing some thinking.  Here's my very rough list of ideas...no details yet.  It's all still very theoretical and not fleshed out.
*behavior management - think Class Dojo meets Pokemon
*mapping skills - plot of a Google map where and what you catch - collaborative
*animal research - research the animal different Pokemon are based on - where does it live, what does it eat, how has it evolved, etc.  Assign points based on different aspects of animal characteristics...similar to Pokemon.  Create a Global Pokemon map showing where different animals can be caught and how many points they can get by catching them.  Go even further and plan out adventures...think Oregon Trail...what supplies will you need based on the environment and distance you'll travel. (I'm thinking this one out as I'm typing and getting kind of excited!!)
*literature/SS Go style game - students create a game similar to Pokemon Go with different characters in a story/throughout history.  As characters are caught, the designer also provides some interesting facts that are meant to entice students to learn more.  They can learn more by following clues and "capturing" more information about story/history.

Again all of these ideas are super surface with nothing carved in stone but I would love to hear from you.  Can you elaborate on anything?  Do you want to collaborate on anything?

shameless promotion OR copyright lesson

You be the judge.

Sooo, I recently decided to take the dive and start uploading to Teachers Pay Teachers.  Initially, I was very against the idea.  The very core of education is legal thievery...or at least that's how it always felt.  But that was when you were in a building and everyone shared within that 1 building. Now, just like with the kids, the audience of teachers is more global.

So why not try to help a fellow Disney lover.  Yup...at this point (and anyone that knows me will NOT be surprised) everything is Disney inspired because well that's me and my style.  I love me some Mickey Mouse.  :)  Anyway, if I'm taking the time to create something that is Disney and copyright appropriate AND someone else can use it, why not put it on TpT?  And if I can make $2 for it...I think my time spent and their time saved is worth that.  Granted, nothing has been bought or downloaded but I've also only been uploading since 5 days ago.  I think I'm ok with that.

Anyway...shameless promotion part - GO! My store is my handle: EBGtech.

Now...to the copyright lesson.  One year ago, Tony Vincent came and presented to the teachers that I work with.  He showed us so many A-MAZ-ING tools.  I was completely overwhelmed and there was no way I would remember everything.  I picked up a few tools to use right away.  Other things have been in my back pocket...just waiting.  Well, about a week ago, one of those tools came out!

The Noun Project!  It's a website with icons that you can either download for free and give attribution to OR you can buy the image royalty free for $1.99.  It's your choice.  And if you decide to give attribution, they download the information on the image for you!  The only thing you have to do is copy the link from the webpage and share that with the image.  WHAT?!  They are doing the work for you.  Cause we all know you can copy and paste at this point.

I haven't opted for the $1.99 yet just because I'm stingy and I don't mind giving credit.  However, I can see how it would be useful.  The name of the icon creator is right there in the middle of my image.  Hmmmm...I don't care enough to pay for it, but you might.

Great tool for you and great tool for your kids!  Talk about an easy way to teach them about digital citizenship.

So now you get to decide...did I shamelessly promote OR did I share a new awesome tool for images with appropriate copyright information?

https://thenounproject.com/search/?q=laptop&i=531255

There's SMORE To Do...

Before I get started I'd like to say my friends +Ms.Kiersten Baschnagel and +LaRenda Norman are the ladies turned me onto Smore.  They use it regularly and inspired me to give it a whirl!

And now....

One of the (arguably) most repeated questions in a classroom is "What do I do now?".  This is a question you become well versed with as a 1st year teacher.  I learned early the beauty of the default answer, "Read a book".  However, as I have gone through the years, I learned also, that isn't always the best response.  I figured this out when I would see kids open a book and stare with no turning pages.

Yup...they were getting a lot out of that particular activity.

I've discovered the beauty of choices for students.  Will there always be the opportunity to read a book?  YES!  Cause I was that kid.  I want to read...especially if I'm in the middle of a really good book...say for example, Harry just found out that Sirius Black, the man who is after him, helped Voldemort kill his parents?!  WHAT?!?!  I want any excuse to pick that book up again.

(Yes, I'm re-reading the Harry Potter series and even as an adult...at work...what I wouldn't give for a chance to be done so I can catch up on my book.)

HOWEVER...there will be other options.  Especially since this year I am taking the role of a computer teacher, so to speak.  In the computer lab, with so much technology at my finger tips???  I couldn't possibly ask students to exclusively read a book when they finish something.  No...they need more options.  This is where the Smore came in.

Smore is a essentially a place to design newsletters.  However, their graphic rich designs make it visually appealing.  You can add whatever content you decide is needed.  You can share online or print hard copies.  And as an educator you can get a discounted account.  The free account only allows you to create 5 smores total.  So even if you create 5 and then delete 4...nope you're done.

I know...I just tried.

So in my Smore you can see that I have crafted a variety of choices for students to do if they are done or even if they are stuck...kids get writer's block too.  I have ideas focused on their projects as well as ways to create their own projects.  And I want their feedback, their ideas, and their questions.  I want them to feel heard.

Would you use Smore?  What for?  (hahahaha - I so want to keep going)
Please I would appreciate any extra ideas or feedback on my Smore.
Leave them in the comments.

https://www.smore.com/bryq4