Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Trello


While searching for things on twitter tonight I found this site called Trello (https://trello.com/). It is a to do list program. The interesting thing is you can share and collaborate on things on a to do list.

And just and FYI it does work on the ipad or a desktop.

You can have more than one list, like I could have a classroom list, non-work list and a work order list. The advantage of the work order list would be to share it with others. Then people could see what I am working on and know I did not loose their request.

Friday, February 3, 2012

Socrative

http://www.socrative.com/ Socrative is a web based tool that can be used, with desktops, laptops, mobile devices or iPads. I have tried to provide tools this week that could be used by all classrooms. This is like using clickers but with a computer or mobile device. The teacher can set up the quiz ahead of time or  ask questions on the fly. There is a site for teachers and a site for students. I will add the teacher site under teacher links and the student link on student on the school website. (http://pvmiddle.usd259.org/)

If you get a chance participate in the SimpleK-12 webinars tomorrow. 


Socrative Resource Help - https://sites.google.com/site/kratzwilkesfinalproject/home/socrative

Enjoy your weekend.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

25 edtech leaders

http://www.slideshare.net/lisa.thumann/fetc-25-edtech-leaders-to-follow Presentation by Lisa Thuman. This presentation gives you a place to start when thinking about following edtech leaders on twitter. Also gives you their blog or website. Happy surfing.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

ICT Magic


http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/ Useful website The amount of resources on this site is incredible. I have requested for a couple of his links to be unblocked. The ICT and Web Tools are amazing. Take some time to explore his site.

I follow him on Twitter always giving great educational resources. 

I did not see him at the FETC conference but love his stuff and wanted to share. 

Sunday, January 29, 2012

R U Tweeting


If you are not on twitter this may be an educational tool you will find helpful. Several of the session at the conference had to do with social media and students, but here I am talking about using social media for you to learn and collaborate with other professionals.

My twitter name is @BrendaHauff, not very creative but you should be able to find me. The hashtags that I have been searching are #edchat, #mlearning, #edtech, #ellchat, #educon, #edapp, #app, #ipad, #apple, #ipadEdu

# is called a hashtag - this is how you find tweets from people with similar interests.

One of the sessions I attended on social media was by Shannon Miller a librarian from  Van Meter, Iowa. On of her websites is, http://shannonmmiller.com/ edmodo join code: FS7734

Twitter tutorial... By Darling Librarian (website)


http://www.flickr.com/photos/info_grrl/5091498668/in/set-72157625298744518 twitter at a glance by

http://www.flickr.com/photos/info_grrl/5217790680/in/set-72157625298744518 twitter at a glance 2


Enjoy and Happy tweeting.

Saturday, January 28, 2012


Web Tools was a huge part of the conference. I won a subscription to SimpleK-12 which has free webinars and resources along with ones specific to their members. Check-Out their website at....http://www.simplek12.com/ 

I plan on sending an email out to PVMS staff daily sharing a tip or two I learned at FETC. This is the first message I have send out. 

Thanks Brenda

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Win a Free iPhone Case

Enter to win a free limited edition iPhone case from Griffin. http://www.griffintechnology.com

Curriculum 21: The New Literacies - Digital, Global, and Media

Presenter: Heidi Jacob Hayes
Book: Curriculum 21
Podcast: Curriculum 21
Website: www.curriculum21.com
Heidi Jacob Hayes has also participated in a TEDx Event.


We have a new group of 21st learners. They have been born into touch technology.

School reform is not the answer it is the problem.

Technology will not prepare kids for 2025. The way we use it and integrate it will. I have seen teachers do dumb things with smart boards. We currently are preparing students for 1985 to 1990. The tools we use do impact learning.

Common core standards are embrace by at least 45 states. The curriculum will no longer be bound in binders.

Strategic replacement-
Back channel- conversations going on during class, presentations or conferences. (Twitter)

Schools should go globally at least twice a year. We need to open the portals of learning and let our students taste and see the world.

Teachers are not resistant to the new tools, they just need to know when and how to fit it in.

Schools have 19th century schedules, 20th century curriculum and 21st century learners.

Classrooms should be modeled after Wikipedia - sharing of knowledge. Using social tools for learning and sharing knowledge. (Google Docs, Wikie, Blogger or Twitter.


Great websites that have nothing to do with this class but are interesting and peak

Teachers should be required to replace at least one component of their curriculum with a price of digital technology. Show teachers one web 2.0 that is curriculum specific.

Digital Literacy - coming soon
Media literacy - coming soon
Global literacy - coming soon

Visual thesaurus
Gap finder

21st Century Senior Projects- create an app

Why aren't schools doing TED events.

Social Media for Professional Development Teacher Learning Communities

When it comes to professional development, research shows that push methods and lectures are no successful.

Professional Development: Activities that development teachers skill, knowledge and expertise.

Traditional Professional Development:
Conference
Workshops
Inservice days

Common Roadblocks to Professional Development:
Cost
Time
Accessibility
Lack of support
Apathy
Value

We need to find methods that will get the teachers excited and involved.

What do teachers want:
Many are moving to social media
Teachers want support
The greatest resources for professional development is blocked

What does social media mean:
Sharing
Creating
Connection
Communication
User driven
Must be online

Traditional Model:
Structure
Expensive
Drawn out
Boring

Social Media:
Fun
Not structured
No plan
Engaging
Fast paced

The best thing is to have these two models work together.

Getting Started:
Survey teachers on what they want
with Google Forms

Use tools like:
#Edchat on twitter
google+
Facebook
Assign a blog
technologyjunkygroup.blogspot.com
YouTube
Screencastomatic
Edcamp


-Brad

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Finding the Perfect iPad Case

The hottest piece of technology out there seems to be the iPad. It has revolutionized the way we work, teach, learn and play. It has also helped bring collaboration, communication and socialization into the 21st Century. Once task that I have taken on at FETC is to find the perfect case that will not only protect the iPad, but also make it more useful for student, teachers and administrators. So far I have for two for teachers and administrators that will meet the goal. The first I mentioned yesterday call the iPevo Typi. Matt is currently testing out this model and we can't pry it from his fingers. The case that I am currently trying is the Higher Ground Podium. I have followed Higher Ground for many years and have been impressed with their laptop cases for student initiatives. Their products are durable, well thought-out and affordable. The same can be said for the podium. It is a little bulky than most cases but this is perfect if you want to protect your investment. It offers the following:* silicone sleeve to hold the ipad* shock absorbing foam throughout* embedded plastic shield to protect the screen* velcro strap to adjust secure and adjust the iPad* magnetic closureIt works as a case and a typing stand giving the user the best of both worlds. Check them out at: www.highergroundgear.com-Brad

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

today was a GREAT day

The exhibit hall was amazing, and i barely scratch the surface, so far my varieties are ....

  • airwatch - management software
  • CK12.org - textbook resource, that you can manipulate and change, and use in multiple formats like ePub or PDF
  • edmodo
I also attended a wonderful session on 3-D creation tools, he showed basically 3 softwares, google sketch-up which was not new to me, but the next two I had not seen before. He also has some great resources on his edmodo page (WTP032). Stereo Movie Maker and Anaglyph Maker

Use a pair of 3-D glasses to check out the photo below. 


Cant wait to try this with the kids. This was a great session. Can't wait for tomorrow. 

I'm a Winner!!

I won a free year subscription to Simple K12! I am excited about this great resource. 


"Simple K12 has helped more than 500,000 teachers and 2 million students learn and use technology."
  

Thanks Simple K12!! Check out their great resources at http://www.simplek12.com/.

Conference Vendor Floor



I only made my way through about 1/4 of the vendor floor today but am excited about 2 things I saw:
Mobile app for Destiny. It is free and works as long as your school has Destiny 9.9 or above. Here is what it can do:
 Search for resources in your library
• Submit and read ratings and reviews 
• Place holds and add items to My List 
• Discover the Top 10 Most Popular titles and New Books at your library 
• Maintain lists of books you’re Now Reading, Want to Read and Have Read 
• View your Account information including checkouts, holds and outstanding fines
• Use the Resource Lists posted by Teachers & Librarians, to find resources on the topics discussed in class.


Air Watch - Could this be a solution to help us with management of our iPads? I want to look into this more. Sounds promising. 







Chromebooks Classroom

The Chromebook Classroom

A Chromebook is an ultralight laptop that is cloud based that runs on Google's Chrome operating system.
They are made by Ace and Samsung and start around $300.00.

What is the key to classroom deployment of the Chromebook -
Management and Scale
Deployment is simple because of the operating system. Each time the device is start it checks for updates and does a security check.

Benefits -
8 second boot up
lighter
better battery life (6 to 8 hours)
web based management
secure
forever fresh

Google Tools
Management - proxy can be set up so all traffic can go through district proxy
Forced login - can be setup so that student have to login each time
Set Homepage -
Blacklist URLs - content management

Pricing Structure-
1 year and 3 year option
Chrome web store
Chrome Box will be released 2nd Quarter- this is a desktop version of the Chromebook.

Chrome Ninja Tips:
https://sites.google.com/site/gapsmidwestsummit/conference-sessions/become-a-chrome-ninja
https://docs.google.com/presentation/pub?id=1ybBgqjohVee4yXoMMyFoBUNTm-nwA7KI-TTrKQBDeq4&start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000#slide=id.g1486ff6_2_14

Vendor Floor Favs

One of my favorite things about attending conferences is the chance to visit vendors so I can see the latest and greatest technologies. Of course at FETC the vendor floor goes on for ever. Here is a list of my favorite items that I discovered on the vendor floor.
1. IPEVO - Ziggi Document Camera
2. IPEVO - Typi iPad Folio case with keyboard
3. Spectrum Funiture - LT15 laptop cart
4. Google - Cromebooks
5. Optoma - 3D Projector
6. Edmodo - Secure social learning network
Brad

Conference Survival Tip - BYOC

As educators, one daily necessity is caffeine. This can come in many forms: bubbly soda or coffee. Our tip for you is to bring your own caffeine. One suggestion is to bring Starbucks Via.

Tell us your conference survival tips below.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Touch the Future: Mobile Computing in the PreK-12 Classrooms

Session Resources:
Online Agenda -http://opportunitygroup.org/id76.html
Session Presentation and
Additional Resources can be located at edmodo.com enter the following
code: 4fshib


Things to Ponder:
You have to change how you support instruction in order to make new technologies successful!
We need to make sure that there is a real reason for integrating iPads...more than just lightening the load of the backpack. Having students read PDFs and word document and web sites is an expensive alternative.

Suggested Hardware:
Boxwave Stylus - http://www.boxwave.com/apple-ipad-2-accessories/bwdd/zgcz/

Educational Apps:
IBooks 2
Splashtop
Note taker HD
Rover
Educreations
Planbook
Dropbox
Box
Puppet Pals
Word Wizard
Speak it
Audio notes

Tools to Help Manage and Keep Up with apps:
App tracker
appbzr

Organizing iPad Desktop:
Organize pages by content - lifestyle, information, communication, games
20 App on a Page
20 Folder on a page
9 apps in a folder

Equipment Management:
Mark each device
Use wallpaper background to identify - picture of child or group picture
Sync with computer or wirelessly
Best designed for individuals
Do work well with groups and learning centers
Need me AUP - Acceptable Use Policies
Take advantage of the security features

Airwatch - this tool can be use to track student web travels.

Instructions Use:
apptivites Site - using apps for instruction
www.apptvities.org
ITunes University

It's a Wrap!

Session link: http://www.maxclassonline.net/MovieMaking/FETC.html

My session today was just what I needed, but it is really making Macs look good. iMovie was so easy to create a green screen video. Mr. Miller shared some great resources. Check-out his website at http://www.maxclassonline.net. He uses iPod touches for video with his students. How we will use this at PVMS is the iPads. I am a little concerned that the iMovie app on the iPad will not allow for as much creativity. But it is a place to start.

Not sure how tomorrow will all play out, but I am excited to learn as much as I can at this conference.

Couple notes from my session, to use green screen with iMovie it needs to be version 9 or higher. Space bar is a play button. Make sure you turn on advanced features in preferences if you want to use green screen.

TIP - Update Already

Make sure you check for the new update just released this morning for the FETC 2012 App. Check your app store.

TIP - Adding Your Conference Schedule

To help keep your conference experience organized, the FETC app allows you to scan the conference event and add them to your schedule. To do this go to Program on the right hand side, then in the center locate the Full Conference icon. This will list all the event for the weeks...click the check make next to the event that you would like to attend. These events will then be added to your conference schedule. Thanks Brenda!!