I’ve been on Google+ for about a year now and recently at PodCamp Western Mass #5 I attended a couple of Google+ sessions which renewed my interest in this social media.

Google+ helps you in many ways:

• It’s part of the Google Suite of productivity products that can work together to help you keep your digital life organized and in the long run more productive.
• Google ‘notices’ when you are using Google+ and will assist with Google rankings
• Google can get into the private areas of FaceBook
• Google+ allows for deeper conversations, more thought.  Think Science, artists, creatives, and thought leaders…don’t you want to be a part of that crowd?

One big take away, from PodCamp Western Mass #5 is that Google+ is = to ‘What do you think?’

Since last fall I have been organizing a TiE2013 Technology in Education Conference with The Collaborative for Educational Services. Last week the conference was held at Holyoke Community College and by all qualitative evaluations it was a roaring success.  The conference was attended by 250 educators and administrators, 10 vendors and 2 keynote speakers. Our quantitative evaluations go out this week….another item on the extensive To-Do list, along with the formal De-Briefing Meeting.

These cookies kind of represent our traditions.  I hope you and yours have a fabulous, safe holiday season filled with love, cheer and warm, happy feelings.

The disc system allows the pages to be inserted [or removed] at any point within the book/journal. The  special punch can put the gripping system into any page and allows the creation of any type of book.

Levenger makes a circa notebook system and discs large enough to hold up to 450 pages-which will work for me.

Arc is a similar binding system, offered at Staples, which also uses a disc and punching system to bind pages together.

I am trying both methods to see which one works best for my BCalendar. Here is a prototype I am working on.  More to follow.

Recently, I have heard  how people ‘resist’ change. This is nothing new.  People-in general-do not like change.  But recently I have been hearing it is educators that are resisting change.  I have always thought of educators as those on the forefront, people who want to make change-help their students change. Now, it’s the educators that seem to be grinding their heels in and do not want to change.

But in fact, isn’t that what we are always asking our students to do? Change? Change their ideas, change their mind or change the way they approach a problem they are trying to solve. We are always asking our students to change.

So, if we are asking our student to change, why not change our own approach to teaching?  How about incorporating something new into our instruction methods?

Pirates with Passion

Today I read an article mentioning how Pirates are more likely to embrace change and challenge convention. “Being aggressive, egocentric, or antisocial makes it easier to ponder ideas in solitude or challenge convention,” says Dean Keith Simonton, a University of California psychology professor and an expert on creativity. Hum, sounds like a Pirate’s life to me. Dean Simonton goes on to add, “Meanwhile, resistance to change or a willingness to give up easily can derail new initiatives.” This sounds to me like those educators complaining about change and resist any new initiatives coming into ‘their classroom’.

Just as we ask our students to have passion, be tenacious, change-the-game, and embrace new ideas we instructors need to do the same. In order to do this, we need to be willing to change. We need to be willing to try something new. Maybe embrace a Pirate’s life a bit more.

Well-Traveled Pirates

Pirates get around, they are well-traveled.  They are able to synthesize their actions via their experiences, which are usually diverse. And diversity leads to breadth and depth in being able to problem solve.

In Beijing, I taught the International Baccalaureate [IB] Visual Arts curriculum and that curriculum demands the art student breaks out of their molds and seek out new artists to explore and research. I had students who were technically amazing, but had trouble breaking-out of their regular routines and artistic methods.

It was my job to get them to become better pirates; test new techniques, interview a variety of artists, explore new galleries and museums, and take advantage of their travels.  In other words: be pirates and even to be better pirates. The art students who succeeded, inevitably were successful with their artwork and ultimately with their final IB scores.

So, how can you learn to embrace change and have it work for you, instead of always resisting change?  Because, if you don’t-isn’t that just always the same?

Keynote speaker Kathleen H. McClaskey from Personalized Learning spoke about how to move towards student led learning and how students need: motivation, engagement & voice in their learning.  She emphasized Universal  Design Learning [UDL] throughout her presentation.

Kathleen also suggested to have a look at CESA 1 in Wisconsin and the projects they have been working on. She also talked suggested we look at Competency Works and All4Ed-both excellent sources.
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Online learning Implementation Strategies was led by Lesley Professor Joan Thormann Ph.D
This presentation also confirmed some basic strategies for online learning: Joan spoke of pitching online learning to one’s district, building distinct capacity, infrastructure, LMS options, student readiness, observation & evaluations, blended learning, district policies and she mentioned her new book.
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E-Rate 2013 update: maximize your e-rate dollars
I also sat in on this session which was quite detailed. Not having an in depth background on this topic, I listened for items emphasized. Primarily the changes for 2013 were discussed.
Important:
ITT 46 ends 9/30/2017
Form 471 Item 21 attachments MUST be filed by form 471 (descriptions of services)

Eligible items:
residential locations ( maybe like DYS?)
Community use of services-  the example used was where schools are open after school allowing people from the community to come in and use the facilities.
CIPA Changed- June 30,2012
Updated Internet Safety Policy
- cyber bullying
-public notices or hearings

For More Information:
888.203.8100
Integrity.com

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Flipping the Classroom was presented by Eric Braun of 30 Hands Learning

This presentation focused primarily on the LMS 30 Hand Learning sells which has reasonable pricing and supposedly dovetails with other LMS like Moodle.
Eric Braun spoke about future initiates:

• Shared Learning Collaborative -SLC
• Content, tools & solutions – CTS
• Learning, resource, metadata initiative – LRMI

Eric also spoke briefly about how teachers are paying teachers for the curriculum they build for Flipping Classrooms. Interesting ideas.

Imagine a language student being able to listen to pronunciation along with a study guide.  With a QR code embedded on a vocabulary sheet, students can download a mp3 file and listen along as they study.

Audio files can be created for any lecture or instruction where an auditory experience would enhance the learning.

QR [Quick Response] codes can be applied anywhere you desire learning to occur.  Perhaps out on campus where a QR code could be scanned to link to richer content.

Since labs are often difficult to make-up, labs can be video recorded and QR [Quick Response] codes can be applied to a lab calendar. Students are able to scan the QR code to download the lab.

Additionally, difficult procedures can be recorded by video and/or audio and added to lab handouts for distribution before, during or after class.

The Guardian US recently mentioned “the growth in online learning is likely to push universities towards greater emphasis on one-to-one tuition and other interaction with students.”  In my mind meaning, a personalization of learning and what better way to personalize and connect with your online students than by using mobile devices.

Which really isn’t much different than working one-to-one with students, except now we have great tools to interact with our students and primary amongst them are mobile devices.

So, how are you using mobile technology in your classroom?  Whether you meet online or in person, there are techniques you can implement.

1.  Push Messages:

Use automated text messages [or voice messages] to connect with your students.  Call Loop is a free [or nearly free] service that is easy to use and integrates with services you might already be using.

• Use it to remind students: of assignments that are due, dates and times of tests or just to check-in.  Personalize the learning experience for your students and you’ll find deeper learning.

2.  QR [Quick Response] Codes:

Think of these as the ‘wild child’ of the Bar Code. QR codes hold so much more information.  Scanning apps can be downloaded to mobile devices and used to scan any QR code you pre-load.

• Post your homework, outside your classroom and train students to scan the code-everytime they come to class.
• Use QR Codes to link to more intense reading, video or online experiences.

3.  Cameras & Apps:

Challenge yourself and your students to use the cameras and apps on your mobile device to create:

• videos
• podcasts
• even virtual meetings

The bottom line is to just get started using mobile devices within your online course.  Make a list of 3 more things you could do to integrate mobile devices within your online learning.  Start small and get going.  Let me know if I can assist you in any way.