Something to think about....

Here just some food for thought - Why do we need to start thinking about using Technology in our classrooms?

A vision of K-12 Students Today 

A vision of k-12 students today

Questions to think about while you review this video:

- What do you think about the stats? Good? Bad? Ugly?
- How do our kids interact with technology?
- Why should we care about incorporating technoto into our classes?
- How can we be a change agent?

Guest Post: Elaine Hirsch: How iPad Textbooks can be Used in Schools

Guest Post by Elaine Hirsch

Thank you Elaine for developing another blog post about a critical piece in our educational system.

How iPad Textbooks can be Used in Schools

As technological innovation continues in our modern society, changes in the delivery of content are now foremost. Desktop and laptop computers quickly became more commonplace after their initial appearance, and it will be the same in the case of e-readers and tablet computers. While many think the novelty of the iPad will be short-lived, a strong camp of thinkers is promoting iPads as the next classroom revolution.

iPads are at this point still the most technologically innovative and user-friendly tablets available. The iPad offers mobile multimedia options, thus kicking learning up a notch as an entertaining way to engage students in a slim, portable package. Many teachers from elementary schools to master's degree programs realize the future of textbooks will be digital, both to save paper and energy, and for easier distribution.

Therefore, the logical step is to use the latest innovation in personal computing tools to be able to access these textbooks. Schools in 600 districts across the nation are already supplying their students with new iPads.

George Fox University in Oregon has attracted students by giving out laptops to incoming freshmen since 1991. This has always been an expensive program, and officials have considered dropping it. However, offering iPads might prove just as attractive to prospective students for half the cost of the laptops they've been offering.

The principal at Burlington High School in suburban Boston sees the iPad as a more cost-efficient alternative to textbooks. The iPad's $500 price tag seems like an intensive budget drain, but in the long term the savings are significant. Multiple textbooks (and buying new editions) per student easily exceed this amount every year. On the other hand, digital textbooks can be updated by the publishers with ease and at somewhat reduced cost.

Even schools with smaller budgets are purchasing the tablets. Woodford County High School in Kentucky is the first public school in the state to give every single one of its 1,250 students a new iPad. The school is using the iPads for digital textbooks, and for the many subject-specific learning apps, such as Star Walk for astronomy, Molecules for biology, iTranslate for language courses, and many more.

The iPad is front and center in the future of education. By engaging students through multimedia, this isn't just an entertaining tech gadget; it's a novel educational device.

TRETC Livebinder

My colleague, Mindy McMahen and I presented about how to use livebinders in the classroom. This was a create and take session. We taught and demonstrated all about livebinders and then gave time for the participants to investigate the site.

Here is a link to our livebinder http://livebinders.com/play/play_or_edit?id=221082

Random TRETC resources

Here are some random resources I gained from TRETC

• edistorm - similar to wallwisher free post it not bulletin board, able to vote on ideas!
• coursesites.com - free online management of instruction, tools, assessment
• animoto.com - video creator

TRETC conference part 1

Good morning. I thought I would take some time to discuss the TRETC conference that I attended yesterday with a colleague of mine. Here are some notes from the keynote speaker panel.

• Gregg Behr - keynote speaker along with panelist
• great time to be a kid to learn about informal learning - anytime, anywhere learning
• kids today are learning anytime and anyplace
• Neil
• students can create sites, videos, blogs, podcast, etc as independent study or differentiated instruction assignments
• Traci Blazosky
• give students choices regarding assignments (tic tac toe board)
• go on virtual field trips with your class by using google earth
• combination with Web 2.0 tools such as Glogster, blabberize
• technology evens the playing field for projects and assignments.
• Dr. Wilder
• find your element
• ask students
• let students find their dreams
• Karen Cater
• education is a matter of national security and economic development
• challenge students get them fully engaged
• shift to digital learning environment from paper based
• learn from people, books, and interfaces
• accessibility is vital
• text to speech, video calls online
• assistive tech and accessible options are made for individuals with disabilities, but are used everyday by others
• opportunity to learn and engage at this time are strong

• Badges or achievements in formal education
• informal learning spaces
• badges for mastery of topics learned
• move to competency based system

Resources from the keynote:

• https://sites.google.com/a/propelschools.org/theplaneteers/ - recylcing site made by a student from Propel School in Pittsburgh, PA
• www.b-7bobcats.wikispaces.com - Traci Blosky’s site
• Cha-ching - earn, save, spend, donate, financial literacy
• http://bugscope.beckman.uiuc.edu/ - great way to review and learn about bugs in your own backyard!