2nd Grade Houses

It Is Not About the Gadgets - Why Every Teacher Should Have to Integrate Tech Into Their Classroom- Pernille Ripp

It Is Not About the Gadgets - Why Every Teacher Should Have to Integrate Tech Into Their Classroom- Pernille Ripp

I once sat on an interview committee in which the candidate p[proudly proclaimed that to integrate technology her students would use word processors and publish their work in a monthly book.  My toes instantly curled.  It wasn't so much that she had used the words "word processor" but rather that she thought tech integration meant to have students type on a computer and then publish their work, that that would make them ready for this century of jobs.  So a couple of things come to mind whenever we discuss tech integration in schools.

• Students have often more seamlessly integrated technology into their lives than their teachers and didn't even need to take a class on it.  
We chalk this up to them being digital natives or because they have an interest in it.  Yet not all children are digital natives and most of them have had role models that show how to use the technology.  They also know that tech is valuable and can add to their lives rather than detract from something else.  
• Some teachers assume that clicking on a SmartBoard or having students type their papers mean that they are "integrating" tech.  This is one very limited usage of tech, in fact, it doesn't really count as integration.  True integration is when a student decides to film a video to show whet they have learned rather than create a poster.  True integration is when students have ideas and fearlessness to use technology to show their learning as a natural extension of the classroom.  Not to type a paper.  
• There seems to be no urgency when it comes to actual technology integration into the classroom, but more of an urgency on how to buy the flashiest gadgets and then offer limited training or support.  How often do we hear about a district that has spent too much money on 30 SmartBoards, 100 iPads and how they will be placed in the hands of the students to enhance their learning?  How often do we then hear about the support they will offer their teachers or how those products will actually be used to enhance learning?  There seems to be an assumption that if you give they will use it effectively, which we all know is not true.  Some teachers might, but most will use it superficially and after a while the product will languish, unused, outdated, and just another relic of someone's hastily thought out idea.
• Some teachers feel that integrating technology is optional.  Integrating technology is no more optional than teaching how to use a pencil.  And while many may find that extreme, we cannot equip our students with the skills they need to be successful learners and teachers without teaching them to use technology properly.  Many schools see typing as a necessity but then cannot bring that view into how to stay safe on the internet, how to search properly on a computer and myriads of other things that technology can offer us.  How to use computers effectively is now a life-skill and as teachers it is our job to equip students with these.
• Teachers who have been labeled "techie" teachers are sometimes viewed as a one-trick pony, that is all they are passionate about and therefore they cannot possibly have an effective classroom.  I certainly am one of the techie-teachers in my classroom but many are surprised at how little we use tech on a day to day basis.  That is not to say we don't use it, because we do, but we also do many other things.  In fact, using a tech tool is just one option my students have to show their learning.  What I do practice is fearlessness in tech usage and that I pass on to my students.  Not that they always need to use some sort of tool, we use our pencils more than a computer, but that they can effectively use whatever whenever they need to.
• Teachers think they have a choice in their classroom.  I am sorry but the choice should not be teachers' anymore; every school should have an effective technology integration curriculum to offer students the skills they need.  We do not have a choice in teaching literacy or math and should not be given one when it comes to technology.  This is not about what WE want the kids to know but what the KIDS need to know.

And I am sure I could continue the list, however, these are my main concerns.  We cannot afford to not focus on proper technology integration in our schools.  It is not about the gadgets, it is not about the typing, it is how to use technology tools fearlessly, respectfully, and effectively.  All things every teachers should be teaching, no excuses.

Innovative Ways to Use Visual Media

1. Create a public service announcement- use Photo Story, Movie Maker, or iMovie
2. Go on a scavenger hunt.
3. Find angles in the real world.
4. Write an autobiography or do an interview. Use pictures to help write the story.
5. Take pictures of simple machines around the school.  Turn them into a presentation.
6. Create commercials to promote healthy snacks.
7. Use photos to show stages of experiments.

Copy Right Free Images

Check out MorgueFile, as long as you don't sell or claim ownership of the image, they are all free to use. 

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Flash Game Design

Gamestar Mechanic

Easily teach students the elements of designing flash games.

ImageLoop: Create Unique SlideShows

VuSafe

Looking to host and post internal videos, check out VuSafe.

"VuSafe is an online content library that enables schools/districts to create a secure environment for showing Internet-based videos in the classroom. Teachers can use VuSafe to find videos, post them to a VuSafe library, organize the videos using keywords and categories, and share them with their students safely. The service removes all outside content present on sites such as YouTube, eliminating access to inappropriate comments, advertisements or other non-approved videos."

Teach Weather?

Weather Spark is a great site that gives visual representation of local data about clouds, precipitation, temperature, sun, pressure, (etc.) with graphs, along with the forecast. Look at the history of the day through the years as you customize the data you wish to view.

Did You Know 4.0

The New WWW

For students WWW no longer stands for World Wide Web, it stands for Whatever, Whenever, Wherever.

The point is not to teach with technology, but to use technology to convey content more efficiently and powerfully.

Help Students Get Organized

TrackClass

is a free resource for students. Students can track their classes and assignments, and it will even send reminders (email or SMS) for upcoming assignment due dates and test dates. There is also a note taking utility so students can take notes on it if they have a computer in school, or transcribe notes later. You can attach files to each class and assignment to keep things organized. It is a great way for students to stay organized.

Great iPAD Apps for Special Education

iPhone, iPad and iPod touch Apps for (Special) Education

Library Spot

Library Spot- Great site for students
Links to online libraries (film, government, law, public etc.)
Reading room (headlines, journals, newspapers, magazines etc.)
Reference Desk- (acronyms, almanacs, biographies etc.)

Shorten URL w/Google

http://goo.gl/

add .qr to end of shortened URL and create a QR code (a barcode) that can then be scanned with a phone and it directly goes to the page

Embedable Student Safe Search Engine

sweetSearch

Poll Anywhere

Poll Anywhere

Send polls from your phone.

Tagul: A different word cloud.

Send large files for Free!

DropSend or WeTransfer 

     allows you to email large files up to 2GB for free.  

Addictomatic

Create your own custom web page on the latest buzz words.
Addictomatic

Digital Research Tools

DIRT
"This wiki collects information about tools and resources that can help scholars (particularly in the humanities and social sciences) conduct research more efficiently or creatively.  Whether you need software to help you manage citations, author a multimedia work, or analyze texts, Digital Research Tools will help you find what you're looking for. We provide a directory of tools organized by research activity, as well as reviews of select tools in which we not only describe the tool's features, but also explore how it might be employed most effectively by researchers."

Bubbl.Us- Concept Mapping

MapLib- Create Your Own Maps

Flip Video

What do with with a Flip video in the classroom...

• Taping Projects & Reports
• Interviews: Students, Staff or Community Members
• School Trips
• Capturing Science as it Happens
• Puppet Shows, Skits, & Plays
• Demonstrating Experiments
• Students Sharing "Their World'
• Digital Storytelling Projects • Commentaries on News Events
• Speech Presentations
• Structured Narratives • Capturing the "Moment"
• EPal (like Pen Pals) Videos
• Recording Reading for Fluency
• Recording World Languages (add English Subtitles)
• Body Movement, Yoga Poses, Dance
• Create "How To" Videos
• Personalized Thank You, We Appreciate & Miss You Videos
Give it to your students and see what they can create!

Free Hosting Site to Embed Your Files

Divshare
Example of a MP3