Why ISTE?

Photo by Marcel Leitner

This year will be my second year attending the annual ISTE conference. I have noticed that there are not many graduate students/preservice teachers that attend . In fact, last year, I think there were only two of us and we were just lucky enough to meet each other and share how overwhelmed we were at being there. Like I said: we're pretty rare.

So why do I go when there are so few people that are at my professional level?

Because I like to learn from people more advanced than I am.

Meeting the amazing Shelly Terrell

At the ISTE conference, I am surrounded by people at all stages of their career. Some of the people I've met (and hope to meet) have been teaching and training for 5, 10, 15, 20+ years and they've still maintained their sense of inquiry, discovery, thirst for knowledge. What is even more amazing to me is that despite their experience, they don't care that I am a little "green;" they care about sharing ideas and learning with me. As with any conference or event, I get to meet the people in my learning network face-to-face and move relationships beyond 140 characters and Google+ hangouts. I get to have conversations with people that are doing things in their classrooms that I hope to throughout my career. With every conversation, I am challenged and inspired. Once I come home, I don't keep what I learn to myself; I bring it back to my classes and share them with my peers so they are learning with me. I am really looking forward to four days of learning and spending time with the people who have been such a huge part of my learning and development as a teacher.

See you all in San Diego! :-)

Week in Review

News
The impact of digital learning on achievement
Strategies for engaging parents
7 habits of tech-leading principals
Digital learning leads to deeper thinking
GlogsterEDU will be included in the Google Chromebook
Mirroring on a Mac without an iPad
50 k-12 edtech blogs to read
The value of digital writing
2012 K-12 Horizon report on emerging technology
New updates announced by Apple


Tools & Apps
Curate the web using eduClipper
Learn about apps for summer learning
New tools teachers can use in the classroom
Interactive science activities at Wonderville
Tools for creating sharing communities


Technology Integration
QR codes for school communication
Using technology to engage students over the summer
Using the Apple TV in the classroom e-book


Professional Development Opportunities
Professional Development and resources for teaching online from Edutopia
Apply for the next Google Teacher Academy in New York (October 3-4)
Digital Teacher series at The Center for Learning
ISTE Conference in San Diego, CA (June 24-27) or attend remotely
Engaging parents webinar (June 21)

iAm a Supporter of Student Branding

Last week, Steve Hargadon interviewed Apple Distinguished Educator Christine DiPaulo about her iAm Collection, a collection that originated from last year's ADE summer institute. The course involves students completing a series of exercises such as creating personal brand statements, designing logos, and concludes with a resuME which tells their story. Christine shared the collection and had some of her students share their personal projects and discuss their journey of creating them. I was amazed hearing the students share their stories of self-discovery as a result of creating their student brands. I applaud and support projects and courses like these because through them students are learning how to establish and control their digital identities. They are learning that everything they create, in the digital world as well as the real world, is a representation on themselves to the world. Instead of fearing student interaction with the Internet, students are being encouraged to showcase their work and tell their story. As digital media becomes more ingrained in students' lives, it is important that they are taught how to create a digital legacy they can be proud of in the years to come.

If you missed the interview with Christine and her class, you can watch a recording of it here

For information on the iAm Collection and personal branding, check out their student page and iTunes U collection

Week in Review

News
An article about the need for teachers to have professional training in social media
Facebook's planning to allow children under 13 to use their service
Districts prepare to apply for the new Race to the Top grants
10 ways that teachers can be learners
Connecting to a network
The new conference model: edcamps
Mentoring for new teachers
Misconceptions about technology in education

Tools and Apps
Educational apps for student learning during the summer
Collaborative task management tool Any.DO
Free search tools for teachers
Teachers can find educational videos at YouTube EDU

Technology Integration
Tips for Twitter in the classroom
Teaching Internet safety to younger students
8 resources for iPads in education
The value of digital mind mapping

Professional Development Opportunities
Professional Development and resources for teaching online from Edutopia
Digital storytelling webinar (June 13)
Apply for the next Google Teacher Academy in New York (October 3-4)
Digital Teacher series at The Center for Learning
ISTE Conference in San Diego, CA (June 24-27) or attend remotely
Engaging parents webinar (June 21)

"Why" is More Important Than "What"

Image by o5com

I have had the opportunity to serve on a few committees centered on technology integration in the classroom. Many times, there has been a greater emphasis on tools and services, the "what" of technology, and not as much focus on the reasons behind it, the "why."

The "what" places focus on putting a specific tool in the classroom and making it work while the "why"focuses on the objective and which tools would be best for meeting that objective. "Why" creates a vision and "what" creates a to-do list. It is difficult to get people on board if they do not see a value to what they are being asked to do.

What can help teachers become invested in technology in the classroom? An understanding of why it is important. Teachers, administrators, students, and parents need to be able to see and understand the value of technology in the classroom or else it becomes another fad they have to "get through."The "why" includes why technology can add to their teaching; how it will benefit teachers and students as lifelong learners; why it empowers their students. Focusing on the "what" creates a mindset of always feeling behind because technology can be hard to keep up with. There will always be something newer and shinier and chasing tools can lead to dissatisfaction and missing the bigger picture.

Don't misunderstand me, in discussion of technology integration, there must be discussion about appropriate tools and services because  parents, teachers, students, and administrators need to know what resources are available. But, in my opinion, they need to support a larger vision or it will continue to be an uphill battle.

Author Seth Godin wrote an excellent blog post with excellent starter questions.

Google+ for Higher Ed

Last week Lisa Thumann and Chris Penny presented on Google+ in higher education in a Google hangout as part of Google Education On Air. Although I have a Google+ account, I failed to use it nearly as much as Facebook and Twitter. After listening to this session, my eyes have been opened to more innovative ways that Google+ serves education especially higher education. The new feature that I learned about that I'm really excited about is Google+ pages. Pages allow users to create pages that Google+ users can follow and appears in Google search. Beyond Google+ as a teaching and learning tool, the session also ventured into topics such as digital scholarship, collaboration, academic resources, personalized learning, online learning, accountability, and so much more.


Best practices for Google+ included:

• Student collaboration through Circles
• Opportunities for blended learning
• Development and presentation of projects
• Opportunities for student advisement
• Using Google+ as a blog of sorts
• Professional collaborations
• Pages for groups, organizations, clubs, classes/courses etc.
• Bringing in outside experts

Find more ways to use Google+ in higher education here


Here is the video of the session:

Rethinking Research

Image by Unhindered by Talent

This week my students have been working on a research project. It didn't take long for me to realize that they were lacking research skills. The ability to conduct research has always been a necessary literacy skill in schools but emerging technology has reshaped the definition of what research entails.

These are some research skills that I believe today's students should have:

1. Know how to engage text - Every website is designed differently and might not have the exact headings that is needed for a project. It is helpful for students to learn how to read text, and even pictures, to draw information from any page they read. 
2. Knowing what resources to use - "Googling" a question brings up tons of results but students need to learn how to sort through all that information to reach credible sources that fit their project and they are able to read. This is a skill that teachers can model for their students who can continue to practice it in the future.
3. How to apply the information to what they already know - Research is supposed to to build on a child's prior knowledge about a topic, no matter how minimal it might be. Students need to learn how to make connections between what they have learned and what they knew before.
4. Reflect on their own learning - Reflection is an excellent opportunity for students to ask themselves if their questions were answered, if their research led to new questions, and what new resources they could use to answer those new questions.
5. Putting information in their own words - It may be tempting for students to copy word-for-word what they see on a website or in a book; however, practicing to put information in their own words makes them masters of the information and better able to explain it or teach it to others. 
6. Share what they learned - Information a child learns benefits them but information that they share has farther reaching benefits. Students should be encouraged to conduct their own research and use what they learned to teach and train others, even the teacher.