Lessons from TIES

I was lucky to attend the TIES Education Technology Conference in Minneapolis from December 9-11.  The awesome speakers there highlighted best practices in educational technology and reminded us all of how 21st century teaching uses technology to engage students in meaningful experiences.  Among these lessons were the following other reminders with which I walked away:

1.  Using a technology tool does not equal innovation.  Innovation does not equate to throwing in a project or tool to say that you use technology in your classroom.  Innovation is using a technology tool as an extension of meaningful learning.  Innovation is using a technology tool to take students deeper into the learning and connect them with real-world experiences that lead to a better grasp of how the concepts are used outside of the classroom.

2.  Stuff is not what is important.  So many use the excuse that there are not enough computers, SMARTboards, iPads, etc. for the reasons that they do not regularly integrate technology.  My argument is that so much can be done with one computer and a multimedia projector.  Through these you can engage your class with online interactives, videos, virtual tours, ebooks, Google Earth, or podcasts.

3.  Kids need license to be creative.  A 21st century student needs to be an innovator, thinker, and creator of new knowledge.  Our assignments and projects need to give kids the opportunity to do this.

4.  The 21st century classroom is collaborative and connected.  Workers of today have no walls.  They can freely communicate and work with someone on the opposite end of the world through Skype, Google Docs, Today's Meet, and many other tools.  Classrooms of today need to model these same practices.  Why not have students create something with a student from another part of the world?  Or even with another student from another school in our district? It is important that we not limit learning to the confines of our classroom to allow students to explore collaboration and communication in a 21st century work environment.  There are so many resources that will give you opportunities to connect your class to another.  My favorite: Skype in the Classroom.

5.  You do not need to be an expert on all things technology to integrate it into your classroom.  The great thing about technology is often it is easy to learn through experimentation.  If you give kids a class to try out a tool, I guarantee that the majority of them will figure it out.  Use your school technology specialist to help you brainstorm ideas and teach lessons to ease the burden of having to feel like the expert in all areas. Most of all, don't be afraid to fail.  Things are not always going to go as planned.  The risk is definitely worth the chance of a flop.

6.  Technology should be integrated into every class as a natural extension of the learning, not as an add-on course or unit.  To repeat what is stated above, technology should be used to enhance the learning and not as a tool to simply state that you are using technology.  It should not be an "extra" or a "bonus", but rather something that is just a part of our everyday life and the way we learn.

7.  Don't assume that kids know how to use technology properly.  Kids must be taught effective use, safety, ethics, and copyright.  There are many important rules to consider as creators of new information.  We MUST teach our students how to properly give credit, what is legal to use, and what information is safe to reveal online.  As educators, this is our responsibility to teach as well as model in our own use of technology.

To access resources and handouts from the conference, visit the TIES wiki.

Beeclip EDU- Create Online Scrapbooks and More

While searching for an alternative to the no-longer free Glogster EDU, I discovered Beeclip EDU.  Beeclip EDU is a simple platform that gives users the option to create an online scrapbook, collage, photo album, portfolio, or poster by adding photos and videos.  The EDU version is free to teachers, but it only allows for the addition of up to 30 student accounts and one project.  (Teachers can upgrade to the paid version for more features or to purchase additional accounts).  Once work is complete, students have a private environment to view other student projects and insert their comments.  Multiple students can work on the same project simultaneously by adding additional editors.  Work can be embedded, downloaded, and printed once completed.

While this is a nice, free alternative to Glogster, Beeclip's interactive features are limited.  For example, students cannot draw directly onto their scrapbook, search for clip art, add music, or even change the size of the text.  They can, however, add YouTube videos, borders to photos, and text bubbles.  If you are looking for a very simple way to create digital scrapbooks or posters, Beeclip EDU is worth a look.

ifaketext: Create your own fake text messages

ifaketext is a fun website.  Users enter the text from an imaginary conversation happening via text messages.  Once completed, ifaketext creates a screenshot which can be shared through a link or by embedding it in a website. (See my example below).  I imagine how much fun students would have creating conversations between book characters, historical figures, or practicing vocabulary. What other creative uses for this can you imagine?   

Create Infographics to Visually Share Research

Infograpics are trendy on the web.  Who doesn't love a good visual representation of statistics and research information?  Your students can become part of the trend by easily creating their own infographics using these great websites:

1.  Piktochart- With the free account, choose from one of five themes.  Add your images, text, and create charts.  A professional looking poster is instantly created!  Download and save the finished product.  Here's an example of one of their templates.

2.  Easelly- Similar to Piktochart, you can choose from one of their pre-made themes (called vhemes) or start with a blank canvas.  Add pictures, text, and modify as desired.  Easelly also supplies a variety of clip art from which to choose.  Here's an example of an Easelly template:

Infographics are ultimately a fantastic and creative way for students to present information on a topic.  It requires that students synthesize their information in a meaningful way while creating new knowledge.  This is only one of the many 21st century skills that will ensure success in the future.

Google Research Tool: New in Google Docs

Here's another reason why you want to be using Google Docs with your students: Google just added a new tool that gives students the power to conduct an instant Google search right in Google Docs.  Once information or a picture is used, Google will even create a citation or a link for the source.

Here's how to use the Google Research tool:

1.  Open a Google Doc, and go to Tools-Research.

2.  On the right a search box appears.  Type in the search topic.

3.  Underneath each result is the option to add a hyperlink or create a citation with a simple click!  Please note that citations are added to the bottom of each document as footnotes.  These can be moved to a Works Cited or Bibliography page, if desired.

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4.  Students can also choose to limit their searches to images, Google Scholar links, or quotes.

Research has suddenly become easier!

While I love the Google Research tool for its ease of use and quick formatting of citations, we must remember the importance of directing students to APPROPRIATE, RELEVANT, and RELIABLE sources of information.  I tend to caution teachers against using Google as a primary research tool.  We must teach students effective search strategies, website evaluation, and the difference between academic and non-academic sources when using search engines.  Students need to consider authority, bias, publisher, currency, and depth of information before using any website as a source of information.  While we may believe that students are savvy web searchers, the opposite is in fact true.  Although today's students have grown-up with the Internet, they need direct instruction on how to appropriately and effectively find information while navigating a vast variety of information on any topic.  They also need to learn how to effectively evaluate a website before accepting the information presented as truth.  I find it mildly entertaining and slightly disturbing at how easily students will believe the information found on fake websites such as All About Explorers or   Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide.  Your Instructional Resource Coach can provide lessons on Internet searching and website evaluation to help you better prepare your students to use the web effectively.  These are 21st century skills that are essential to success in a digital world.

Remember that we have many excellent subscription databases and library print materials that will lead students to appropriate, relevant, and reliable information.  We need to be guiding students to these resources before sending students off on an Internet hunt without proper guidance.

You Are Your Words: Visually Represent Writing

I love it when students take a piece of writing and use technology to share it in unique ways.  You Are Your Words is a fun way for students to express their ideas by combining their words with a visual representation.  Created by the American Heritage Dictionary, You Are Your Words invites users to upload a self-portrait and add descriptive text.  With the click of a button, students have a beautiful self-portrait with a picture and word overlay.   Not only is this a great tool for self-expression, but imagine they other ways that students could use this to visually represent their writing.

Lesson Plan Search Engine

Are you searching for a new lesson but are lost sifting through the irrelevant and poorly written websites acquired through a Google search?  If so, you will want to bookmark the Teaching Ideas & Lesson Search Engine.  This tool will give you the power to search through 50 verified lesson plan websites for a great and relevant lesson.