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Educational Technology and Mobile Learning: Everything Teachers Need to Know about Google Classroom
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Teach Tech Trussell: Google Classroom, Doctopus and Goobric - The Ultimate Workflow!
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The Three Most Important Questions You Can Ask Your Teenager | Michael Mulligan
- Preteens from affluent, well-educated families... experience among the highest rates of depression, substance abuse, anxiety disorders, somatic complaints, and unhappiness of any group of children in this country. As many as 22 percent of adolescent girls from financially comfortable families suffer from clinical depression. (pp. 45-46)
- Deresiewicz claims that this generation of highly accomplished, college-bound students have been robbed of their independence because they have been raised in a petri dish for one purpose only: to attend an elite college that ensures their and their families' economic and social status.
- Instead of being nurtured towards real curiosity and a genuine sense of citizenship, these millennials are conditioned to think that everything they do is for the purpose of looking good in the eyes of admissions officers and employers: you earn good grades not because they mean you are learning something, but rather because they will help you stand out from your peers when applying to the Ivies.
- Many college students who fall apart under pressure because they cannot conceive of the fact that hard work and learning are positive outcomes in and of themselves
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Recent Video | PBS NewsHour | PBS
Marshallow Test
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10 Online Learning Trends to Watch in 2015 [#Infographic] | EdTech Magazine
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Diigo Bookmarks (weekly)
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Weekly Diigo Links
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Google releases guide to help schools integrate its technology into classrooms | 9to5Google
- 5-step approach to deploying a digital education solution
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Friday, January 2, 2015
5 Google Chrome Extensions for Teachers to Save Time in 2015
By today, you've undoubtedly read numerous feel good blog posts this holiday season, all meant to jump-start your motivation and excitement for the coming 2nd half of the school year. Instead of providing inspirational words (of which I have few), I decided to contribute in a more practical manner (with a nod to the motivators for taking care of that!).
So here are 5 Google Chrome Extensions to add to your repertoire this year. Since time is always the enemy, I chose the following in hopes that they bring you tidings of great efficiency... or something close to that.
So here are 5 Google Chrome Extensions to add to your repertoire this year. Since time is always the enemy, I chose the following in hopes that they bring you tidings of great efficiency... or something close to that.
Monday, September 8, 2014
Public Domain Image Search
Students of all ages are often tasked with projects that involve finding and using pictures and digital images from the web. Ensuring that our students are using images that are free to use (what we call "public domain" images) respects individual copyright and creative work - and allows for teachable moments about these themes. Finding public domain images can be limiting, however, so I share with my students the following list in order to maximize their search options.
Friday, September 5, 2014
How to Cite a Textbook
One of my goals this school year is to blog more often, in much smaller chunks. So it begins, a splattering of random information on teaching history, using technology in the classroom, and whatever else.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Submitting Digital Assignments with Google Forms & Screenshots
Google recently updated its Forms to allow embedding of images and videos opens the door for great possibilities with surveys/quizzes/etc. It's especially helpful in one area: using Google Forms to submit student work. (Credit to +Greg Kulowiec for opening my eyes to this!)
My 7th graders completed timelines on major events of the Civil War using the program Timeglider. In order to share them with me, they would need to change the sharing settings and find an obscure link to their timeline. Knowing the confusion caused by this from past experience, I created a simple form where they would only enter two pieces of information:
To create the images, I simply used my Mac's built-in screenshot feature (command + shift + 3), then cropped and annotated the image using Mac's built-in pdf viewer, Preview.
Since Google Drive also allows for embedding of videos, this would be an easy to way to incorporate screencast video tutorials for the same reason. I use these often to show students how to use the various online tools we utilize in class.
My 7th graders completed timelines on major events of the Civil War using the program Timeglider. In order to share them with me, they would need to change the sharing settings and find an obscure link to their timeline. Knowing the confusion caused by this from past experience, I created a simple form where they would only enter two pieces of information:
- Their name
- The link to their timeline
In order to get this information, I now used screenshots to show them exactly how to share it correctly. Since the screenshots can be embedded in the survey, it simplifies the process for the students.
The result? Zero questions. Nearly 100% of links correctly submitted within 4 minutes of the start of class. (Realized I was missing one step that through off a few students... always learning!)
The result? Zero questions. Nearly 100% of links correctly submitted within 4 minutes of the start of class. (Realized I was missing one step that through off a few students... always learning!)
To create the images, I simply used my Mac's built-in screenshot feature (command + shift + 3), then cropped and annotated the image using Mac's built-in pdf viewer, Preview.
Since Google Drive also allows for embedding of videos, this would be an easy to way to incorporate screencast video tutorials for the same reason. I use these often to show students how to use the various online tools we utilize in class.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Ukraine: Teaching Perspective through Current Events
As a history teacher, relating the past to the present is integral to my success. If the name of this blog - and it's origin, Faulkner's quote - fail to acknowledge this point, perhaps the project below will.
For our (extremely short) unit on Europe, we will focus our attention on the ever-changing situation in Ukraine. There are a number of reasons for choosing Ukraine besides its relevance to the news, including its connections to the USSR, World Wars, and Russo-European relations, as well as protest movements, imperialism, and democracy in general. For our sake, however, the unraveling crisis/unrest/protest (whatever you prefer to call it) in Ukraine also provides an important opportunity to analyze perspective.
Our project is outlined below. We began by having our 8th graders read background articles on the conflict, as well as articles from sources chosen to intentionally reveal bias. Our students have been assigned groups based on three perspectives - pro-Russian Ukraine, pro-EU Ukraine, and international. Within those groups, they will create content that will ultimately become a website representing the conflict from their group's perspective. Within each group, there will be seven different assignments. While wee are assigning the groups, we are not assigning the specific assignments. This is purposeful so as to allow students to asset map and identify strengths and weaknesses within themselves and the group. The final product will be a digital website created by each group sharing their work - a kind of digital magazine from their perspective.
So what do you think? What are we missing? How would you change it? How could we do it better?
Our hope is that this project can be recycled and tweaked for years to come in order to analyze perspectives around whatever current protest movement is occurring - wherever that may be...
For our (extremely short) unit on Europe, we will focus our attention on the ever-changing situation in Ukraine. There are a number of reasons for choosing Ukraine besides its relevance to the news, including its connections to the USSR, World Wars, and Russo-European relations, as well as protest movements, imperialism, and democracy in general. For our sake, however, the unraveling crisis/unrest/protest (whatever you prefer to call it) in Ukraine also provides an important opportunity to analyze perspective.
Our project is outlined below. We began by having our 8th graders read background articles on the conflict, as well as articles from sources chosen to intentionally reveal bias. Our students have been assigned groups based on three perspectives - pro-Russian Ukraine, pro-EU Ukraine, and international. Within those groups, they will create content that will ultimately become a website representing the conflict from their group's perspective. Within each group, there will be seven different assignments. While wee are assigning the groups, we are not assigning the specific assignments. This is purposeful so as to allow students to asset map and identify strengths and weaknesses within themselves and the group. The final product will be a digital website created by each group sharing their work - a kind of digital magazine from their perspective.
So what do you think? What are we missing? How would you change it? How could we do it better?
Our hope is that this project can be recycled and tweaked for years to come in order to analyze perspectives around whatever current protest movement is occurring - wherever that may be...
Saturday, March 22, 2014
What has me thinking - March
Beg, borrow, and steal quickly became my mantra as a young teacher. And I'm still young. So I'm still stealing. You get the idea. Thanks to +Patrick Larkin and +Steven Anderson for the idea behind this. I'm going to try sharing (occassionally) a few blog posts, articles, videos, or other media that have me thinking this week. We'll see how it actually turns out.
6 Lessons from Daniel Pinks #ASCD14 Session by +Joe Mazza
Dan Pink is well known for his research behind motivation (hence the name of his bestseller, "Drive"). His focus at #ASCD14, however, seems to be persuasion. Joe's post highlights key aspects of Pink's keynote that you can use immediately in your day-to-day life as an educator, all geared around motivating those around you and moving the dial forward. Lots of great takeaways - will be referring back to this often. (As someone who did not attend #ASCD14, I still enjoy accessing the great people and content from the conference.)
The Overprotected Kid by Hanna Rosin
The research on the importance of independence, risk-taking, and play experienced during childhood is quite clear, from Rosin's article. This (long) fascinating read is filled with nostalgia for the explorative-nature that childhood used to embody. It raises thoughtful questions about what it means to allow our kids to face challenges - to experience and therefore overcome fear - and how heavy pushes for playground safety in the past 3 decades has yielded little-to-no change in injury outcomes. As an educator, this article validates what I think of as the struggle: letting kids work through an issue on their own, without much intervention, with a healthy amount of failure and challenge. Lots of connections here to the maker movement, as well. Having taught both in public and private schools, I am especially interested in what we consider to be "good" parenting, and how much of that involved letting go.
Teach Kids How to Code And You Give Them A Skill For Life by Nick Morrison
As of September of this year, "England will be the first country in the world to make computer programming a compulsory school subject at all levels." Raises the question: what are we doing here in the US? Lots of interesting references to programs around the country. While addressed far less than it should have, the fact that coding teaches vital life skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and understanding cause-and-effect should be the number one reason for teaching coding in schools. Interested to see how the US responds to the UK's innovative decision.
Reading PSA by 9th graders at the Emma Willard school
The power of the PSA (Public Service Announcement). Such a great example of the creativity our discover find when given the opportunity (or responsibility). We ask our students to create PSAs multiple times during the year, but this video is pushing me to expand my understanding of what one can/should look like.
Rethinking Learning: The 21st Century Learner
This video captures such a critical aspect of education technology use that goes ignored all to often: kids need to be creating. They need to be less of the consumer and instead be the ones using the technology to create (whether it be videos, presentations, games, infographics, timelines, maps, games, fliers, simulators, etc etc etc). The push for edtech in schools is too often focused on how it is changing the teaching and not the learning.
6 Lessons from Daniel Pinks #ASCD14 Session by +Joe Mazza
Dan Pink is well known for his research behind motivation (hence the name of his bestseller, "Drive"). His focus at #ASCD14, however, seems to be persuasion. Joe's post highlights key aspects of Pink's keynote that you can use immediately in your day-to-day life as an educator, all geared around motivating those around you and moving the dial forward. Lots of great takeaways - will be referring back to this often. (As someone who did not attend #ASCD14, I still enjoy accessing the great people and content from the conference.)
The Overprotected Kid by Hanna Rosin
The research on the importance of independence, risk-taking, and play experienced during childhood is quite clear, from Rosin's article. This (long) fascinating read is filled with nostalgia for the explorative-nature that childhood used to embody. It raises thoughtful questions about what it means to allow our kids to face challenges - to experience and therefore overcome fear - and how heavy pushes for playground safety in the past 3 decades has yielded little-to-no change in injury outcomes. As an educator, this article validates what I think of as the struggle: letting kids work through an issue on their own, without much intervention, with a healthy amount of failure and challenge. Lots of connections here to the maker movement, as well. Having taught both in public and private schools, I am especially interested in what we consider to be "good" parenting, and how much of that involved letting go.
Teach Kids How to Code And You Give Them A Skill For Life by Nick Morrison
As of September of this year, "England will be the first country in the world to make computer programming a compulsory school subject at all levels." Raises the question: what are we doing here in the US? Lots of interesting references to programs around the country. While addressed far less than it should have, the fact that coding teaches vital life skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and understanding cause-and-effect should be the number one reason for teaching coding in schools. Interested to see how the US responds to the UK's innovative decision.
Reading PSA by 9th graders at the Emma Willard school
The power of the PSA (Public Service Announcement). Such a great example of the creativity our discover find when given the opportunity (or responsibility). We ask our students to create PSAs multiple times during the year, but this video is pushing me to expand my understanding of what one can/should look like.
Rethinking Learning: The 21st Century Learner
This video captures such a critical aspect of education technology use that goes ignored all to often: kids need to be creating. They need to be less of the consumer and instead be the ones using the technology to create (whether it be videos, presentations, games, infographics, timelines, maps, games, fliers, simulators, etc etc etc). The push for edtech in schools is too often focused on how it is changing the teaching and not the learning.
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