Techie Tuesday - Version 2.6 - Engaging Students with Alternative Technologies

Hello, all.  It has been a little while since I last posted.  I have had plenty of "fun" activities that have taken up some time in my life lately that I'd like to share.  Now I can't share all of it because I am sworn to secrecy, as is Marcus P., but I can tell you, it's been pretty awesome!!

For the past 4+ months Marcus and I have had the kind of professional development experience that most educators dream about.  We have met some of the most inspirational educators and advocates for all ages of students.  We have met with representatives from the Indiana Department of Education.  We have planned lessons with some of the hardest working individuals that Indiana has to offer.  We have traveled to Indianapolis multiple times.  We have even made a trip out to California to fly drones on a beach and make a video with a GoPro in one of the tallest buildings in Los Angeles.  We have worked countless hours, on top of our normal teaching job, to create something that is original and powerful for teachers and students alike.  In due time, you will get to see some of the work that our group has created.  But for the present time, I will let you in on one little secret...each lesson plan hinges on one major hook--technology!

Technology is all around us.  It is embedded in our every day lives.  I bet as you are reading this, it is probably on your desktop...or your iPad...or your phone.  Heck, it may even be from a link shared on Twitter.  Regardless of how you read this post, it is online and it is accessible everywhere.  This is how students live their lives.  They have profiles on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and SnapChat just to name a few.  Some may even have Google+ profiles.  And so do you!  You also have a Google Drive.  You have your own YouTube channel.  And you also have your own Gmail account.  Did you know that?!?!

So how can we leverage these technologies to better engage our students?  It takes time.  It takes time to be able to think "outside the box".  It takes working with one another to look at a lesson plan and discuss "How can this be better?"  "How can I get my students engaged more in class?"  You must use technology for more than how it has been used in the past.  I will let you know, it is not by just having a student word process a paper.  That is not the best use of technology in your classroom.  How many years have we been doing that?  I know I was doing it in high school 20 years ago.  (Oh man, I just dated myself.)  Instead, have them start their own blog for your class.  Have them write for a worldwide audience!  Everyone reads the school newspaper.  But does everyone read a student narrative on Julius Caesar?  How can this lesson be better with technology?  Marcus did a wonderful job incorporating Sphero balls and mazes in a lesson from the book, Flowers with Algernon.  He made the comment that his students have never been so engaged.  (If you want the whole scoop then you need to speak with him on the lesson.)

So this brings me back to the point, "How can we get our students more engaged?"  The ultimate solution for this teacher is technology.  This is the world we live in now, folks.  It is the world our students need to be prepared for.  And it is the world in which we should be preparing them to be successful.

Techie Tuesday - Version 2.3 - I'm absent today! Now what will my kids do?!

School's back in session!

But now you're sick after inhaling all the germs that the students brought into your classroom.  What do you do?  Do you just make it a study hall (not recommended, by the way)?  Do you have the kids just work in groups to learn new material?  Or do you give a review assignment, even though it is going to set you back a day off of your schedule?  

With the invention of technology, you do not have to choose any of those options.  Instead you can create some visually stimulating lesson plans for your students.  Ever wonder what that large paper weight some of us like to call an iPad is for?  You can use it, with a multitude of apps, to create your lesson plan for students to view.  Last year I shared Mr. Painter's great use of the app Educreations and how he used it to share his lesson plan with his students.  (Excellent work, Marcus!)  

Educreations, ShowMe, or Explain Everything are all great apps for writing and/or inserting images on your iPad.  However, what if you want to make your video interactive.  "There's an app for that."  I call it TouchCast.  Touchcast is an amazing (FREE) app that lets you create videos with interactive elements in the actual video.  Here is a TouchCast video I shared with my students last year when I was going to miss a day during 2nd semester.

I LOVE this because all of my links (called vAPPS) are interactive and the students can just click, or touch, them to go to that website, vote on a poll, or send me a message on Twitter!  Do you think this could be useful in your classroom?

Featured Techie Of The Week - Nikie Jenkinson

Lesson Paths gives teachers the option to offer a fully-integrated digital lesson that is located online for all platforms. Teacher-generated components are not excluded, as the tool allows document uploads and comprehension quizzes as formative assessments throughout. The best part of Lesson Paths is the clear linear organization of each unit. Students may easily access each step of the lesson, called a "playlist," by hovering over the menu pop-up on the left of the screen and scrolling down to the correct step. However, students are encouraged to work through the lesson one step at a time with a large, clear "next" button on the top of the screen. A title bar on the top left indicates the lesson title and page heading while a horizontal bar on the top right shows students' progress through the lesson. To draw student interest, each link is fully clickable within the tool's window, so the student may access other dynamic content within the specific lesson. However, when a student is ready, the linear organization of the lesson allows him or her to easily jump right back in at the last step visited. I appreciate the opportunity to encourage student engagement with content while sharing educational and informative digital materials.

Thanks, Nikie!  If you would like to see an example of how Nikie used Lesson Paths in her classroom, just click HERE.  As always, feel free to contact the Featured Techie of the Week if you have any questions.

Techie Tuesday - Version 1.8 - 1815 Technologies vs. 2014 Technologies

In 1815 there was a concern for Principals regarding technology in the classroom.  It was paper.

It is kind of funny how things have changed from possibly running out of paper to nowadays running out of bandwidth.  Not too long ago I can easily remember learning how to use a technology phenomenon known as the graphing calculator.  Now...it's learning multiple technologies for the classroom!

Whether you want to believe it or not, we have a duty as teachers to give our students multiple chances of using technology to help them in their academic endeavors.  Check out this video of a 7th grader!

Can you say WHOA!?!?  It is understood that this student had to learn the use of these technologies from somewhere.  I can't imagine it was from her friends.  Can you imagine how resourceful this young girl will be when she goes to interview for a job in the future?  Now, is it expected that you know ALL of these technologies and share them with your students...NO.  But you can start some place, right?  Where is that "some place" then?  I know it will be different for each of us.  But the real question is, if you don't know where to start, will you even start at all???

FEATURE TECHIE OF THE WEEK:  Mr. Michael Tetrault

"I particularly love using technology in class because it brings French to life for students.  A common complaint I hear is that "you just can't use French in Indiana/White County/Monticello/etc."  But with social media, Skype, YouTube, extensive online dictionaries, and language forums, students very easily connect with authentic French speakers and create links with people around the globe.  

I have a French friend who teaches English in southern France, and we have had several Skype sessions between our classes.  The TL students speak face-to-face, in real time, with the students in France.  Both sides speak both languages as needed to help each other understand, and students can get answers to their cultural questions if they want to hear straight from another teenager.

We also have a cart loaded with some iPods, and there is an app we use to create video slideshows with accompanying audio.  Students record their voices while they arrange pictures from their summers, and they tell the story of how they spent their summer break.

Recently I created a Twitter account (@TLHSTetrault) to post interesting videos or news from the French-speaking world in order to reach students who use Twitter extensively.  I have also created a Facebook page for use with my travel groups.  The bottom line is that students are using French and being exposed to the language outside of the 88-minute window every other weekday.

For several years, I have also had students complete a recipe project, where they make a food, create a recipe in French, then bring in the food and present their recipes.  I started to get bored of seeing the parade of poster boards, so I encouraged students to think outside the box.  The results were a lot of fun; for example, students created videos on their phones and added music and text overlays to add a lot of interest to the project.

I have students in 3rd year search the internet for French news articles on a regular basis, and it is a ton of fun for me because A) they're exploring at their own pace as they find what interests them, B) when they present their findings, we get to have in-depth conversation about topics and cultural perspectives that our textbook would never discuss, and C) students take ownership of the things they find, and they enjoy presenting their materials and leading the conversation.

Of course, YouTube is a great resource as well, because I can show all kinds of videos that pique students' interest: French commercials, news reports, comedians, French pranksters doing funny things (speaking French the whole time, and kids still want to see it!), and music videos.

Frankly, I am jealous of students today that can use technology and the internet to see and learn anything they wish.  Even though Google existed when I was in high school, my learning was mostly confined to whatever was found within the binding of my textbook.  Now that the social aspect of the internet is much more vast, students can take their learning as far as their imagination reaches."

WOW!  Thanks for sharing, Michael.  Exciting things happening in French!

Techie Tuesday - Version 1.6 - Audioboo and Feature Techie of the Week

Welcome back, all!  I'm hoping that by now you are getting a little more familiar with your iPads.  I know you are not "Techie Pros" and I do not expect you to be.  I would not consider myself a "Techie Pro" either.  I prefer the term, "Techie Enthusiast".  Learning new technologies takes a certain time commitment that not everyone has at this moment.  We have been "blessed" with some snow days as of late, so I am hoping you have taken a little bit of time to get familiar with your iPad.

When working with your iPad, it is easy to get overwhelmed by the capabilities, shortcuts, uses, apps, etc. In fact, some of you might feel like doing this to your iPad.

IT IS OKAY TO BE OVERWHELMED!  How many times have you said that to one of your students in class???  Just take a deep breath and prioritize your needs/wants for your classroom.  What is the main activity that wish you could make more streamlined and easier?  If you have an idea, there is an app for that. You just have to have an idea of what you want to do, and don't hesitate to ask!

Audioboo is a recording app that can be used in so many ways in the classroom. ”Schools and universities around the world are embracing Audioboo as the easiest, most effective way to give teachers and students a voice.” The corresponding website has education channels, examples, and some great ideas. The app is available for iOS devices and Android devices and has an Edmodo app as well.  (Credit:  www.lastbackpack.com)  This past week I had my PreCalculus classes record something they remembered about exponential or logarithmic functions from when they took Algebra II.  This would be a pre-test before we started the next chapter.  Then they shared their recordings with me, which I put into a ThingLink image.  The classes really enjoyed the final product as they were able to listen to their classmates recordings.  (There may have been some ribbing going on as well.  Ha!)  The goal is to revisit these recordings at the end of the chapter to see if the students can add to their original knowledge.

Here are some other great ideas for using Audioboo in your classroom are:

• Students read a book and record a review.
• Music students record practice time.
• Foreign Languages record fluency practice.
• Teachers record assignment feedback.
• Social Studies have student recite the Preamble.
• Computer teachers have students create step-by-step instructions of how to create something using Microsoft Office.
• FACS teachers have students record how to follow a recipe.

What could you do in your class?

FEATURE TECHIE OF THE WEEK:  Mr. Painter

I'm excited about the prospects of more technology in my classroom.  As educators, we can never become complacent or approach an "I've got this teaching thing figured out!" point of view.   At this point, I've taken a "no fear" approach. I'm experimenting with new apps on the iPad everyday. I'm trying not to allow the technology to intimidate me. Some of the apps I like, some I don't. Some of the apps that I DO like, may not be ideal for my classroom yet.

One thing that I am excited about is the prospect of shifting all of my written assignments to digital submissions. I really like Evernote, Dropbox, Pages, and Top Note Pro for student writing in a digital environment.  None of these apps are perfect, but they do coordinate nicely together, providing plenty of options for both student and teacher. My hope for later this year or next school year is to operate in a digital environment where my students can easily submit writing to me and I can effectively annotate/grade their work digitally.  

Techie Tuesday - Version 1.5 - Digital Learners--Students, and Teachers

Good day to you all!  Sorry this is a little late for your Tuesday, but I figured better late than never, right Lance!  I'm hoping that you are staying safe with all this wonderful snow we have been having.  I think an email from Cindy really sums it up for everyone.

Well, with all your "FREE" time, take the time to brush up on some of your technology!  Last week I mentioned the wonderful website/app named ThingLink.  I know a couple of you have looked into it and have found how interesting and useful it is for the classroom.  I decided to give my PreCalculus classes an activity that required them to create their own ThingLink.  Below are a couple of their finished products.

(Created by Destiny D. and Edgar E.)

(Created by Luke S., Nick L., and Derek C.)

I'm trying to create more activities similar to this so my students can show their creativity.  If you have not seen the Model Schools Rigor/Relevance Framework, you will notice that this activity falls into a higher category than just memorizing content.

NEW to the Techie Tuesday blog post!  I am going to start having a "guest" post each week.  My goal is to get a teacher in our building or corporation to share an interesting app or website they use in class.  These posts can include a success story, or better yet, a failed attempt at implementing technology in class.  Some times these are the best stories!  Sharing a "fail" can help a teacher learn how to make adjustments to what is a neat activity.  Remember, it is okay to fail, and to let the students see you fail.

FEATURE TECHIE OF THE WEEK - Mrs. Desiree Swaim

"Quizlet is a FREE app with flash card sets for all different subject.  I can type in "Mitosis" in the search bar and many different sets will come up.  I set up review stations and use Quizlet at one of the stations.  Here students can study key terms in Quizlet.  They can quiz themselves in the 'Learn' feature or study in the 'Scatter' feature.  You can also save your favorite sets to use from year to year.  Students can also get this app on their smartphone or ipod."



Thanks for sharing, Dez!  I'd like to add that you could have students create THEIR own flash cards through this website as well!  Next time you think about having the kids create flash cards for class, have them try their hand at creating digital flash cards using Quizlet.  Much more fun, and accessible, for the students.