Connected Educator Month

October 2013 is deemed as Connected Educator Month.  Over the past several years, I have built my personal learning network using Diigo for bookmarking, Twitter for quick reads, Blogger to build this blog, and LinkedIn to connect with other professionals.  It is through a combination of all of these that I am able to keep up on the latest trends in education.

As in most districts, ours is struggling with tight budgets.  Gone are the days when we are able to attend conferences.  I still need to learn about new technologies and how to best use them to impact student learning.

I am always interested in ways to more efficiently share information that I find.  Once example is this blog post about how to connect your Diigo account with your Twitter account and your Blogger account.  This allows you to easily share finds which you post on Diigo.  You can also send it out in a Tweet or post your description to your blog.  I plan on giving these a try .

How do you use personal learning networks to share with others?

For ideas on getting started with personal learning networks, check out the Connected Educator Month .

How Much is Technology Woven Into the Fabric of Learning in Your Classroom?

The Technology Integration Matrix, produced by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology, is a great tool for schools to use to see how deeply technology is woven into the fabric of learning in their school.  The matrix shows how teachers can use technology to improve student learning.  What I really like about the matrix is the range of use across the levels of technology integration.  Regardless of a teacher's knowledge or comfort level with technology, there are ideas for technology use at all the stages.  The earliest stage is Entry, followed by Adoption, Adaptation, Infusion and Transformation.  The other axis of the matrix is related to the characteristics of the learning environment. These learning attributes include Active, Collaborative, Constructive, Authentic, and Goal Directed.  If you click on the arrow on the name of the stage or learning attribute, it brings up a new webpage with more information.  Near the bottom of each new page, are videos that show that level and attribute in action!  As a teacher, this is extremely helpful for me to see a lesson at that level and attribute in action.  Give it a try!  I am sure you will find new ideas for technology use in your classroom.

Back in Good Health

For the past few months, I have not posted any blog articles.  I was busy with the start of school and also having surgery for breast cancer.  I really missed posting articles and seeing who was reading them.  I am cancer free now and feel more like my old self.  You can expect me to start posting articles on a more regular basis now.  Thank you for continuing to follow my blog!

TED Ed - A Source for Educational Videos

Have you heard of TED Ed?  It is a free resource of educational animated videos for teaching and learning.  The purpose of this initiative is to help teachers to either "flip" their classroom or make their teaching more self-directed for their students.  Check out the video below to learn more....in true "flip" style.

The site has many tools for teachers including how to assign the videos, include a quiz to determine if students learned the information, and find out which students have watched the video....plus a lot more!

Free Google Sites Guide

Richard Byrne, author of the blog, Free Technology for Teachers, has created a new guide for people who are just getting started with Google Sites.  If you are creating a site with Google, this would be helpful as you get started.  It includes directions and screenshots for adding images, videos, pages, and much more.  Check it out.  It is a Scribd document which you can print or read online.

Free Technology for Teachers: 47 Page Guide to Google Sites for Teachers

iPad Apps - Listed by area

Apps in Education
 
One of the time consuming tasks for teachers is finding iPad apps that work with their curriculum.  Here is one site that lists the apps by subject area.  They also have a category for special needs.  This is very helpful for teachers as it saves them the time of having to search through the iTunes store trying to find apps that work.  If you have another site that lists iPad or Android apps with reviews by an educator and categorized so that it is easy to find useful apps, please post them in the comments below.

New Feature with Evernote

I just downloaded Evernote for my Asus Transformer Android device.  One of the new features is the ability to record an audio message into a note.  Evernote then converts it from speech to text. This could be a very useful feature for students with reading and writing issues. If you are using Evernote, be sure that you update your app to get this feature.