All things EdTech, how to use EdTech, etc.
So, I was sitting around pondering some literature to read with my kids after spring break. I was texting back and forth with one of my colleagues who teaches world history about where, or when they are going next when my attention wandered a bit to Twitter. I saw a reference to Sick Science, and of course, clicked it out of curiosity. Oh, what a treat we have been gifted with. Continue reading
Use the Force… that is exactly what I wanted to do when I got my hands on the Myo Gesture Control Armband by Thalmic Labs. Use the Force, I did. I admit, I was a bit skeptical of this when I saw the promo material, as most people would be. Continue reading
You have likely seen it all over social media. It seems that Twitter is exploding with tweets about the Openebooks initiative. Being an English teacher who believes reading holds the key to many of life’s treasures, I jumped right in and took a look.
Teachers like goodies. We like things that make our jobs not only easier, but more effective. Projectors are becoming more the norm in classrooms rather than the exception. Teachers are finding ways to best make use of this wonderful tool.
At a recent EdTech conference (MECA in Mississippi) I was able to obtain the Ziggi HD Plus document camera. To be honest, I wondered just how effective this tool would be, as it was priced at around $100. Talking to Alex, at the Ipevo booth, he promised that this camera had great resolution. I decided I would take this little guy for a spin. Continue reading
Poetry. Walk into any middle or high school English class, and you will hear a variety of noises emanating from the room. Some will be excited, giving noises of joy. Others, and likely in far greater numbers, will groan as if in utter pain. So, how do we combat this? Continue reading
Ask a public school administrator about a cost effective way to try to go 1:1 in a school, and the odds are a good many of them will say to buy Chromebooks. We had the privilege of being asked to come to a school to pioneer paperless classrooms. We were always known as those teachers who were out there, dancing around the room, doing whatever we could to keep kids engaged. We were also known as those who were always looking for new ways to engage students. To us, this sounded perfect. Continue reading
So, a few months ago I stumbled upon Fakebook. Fakebook is a tool put out by classtools.net that allows students to create what looks a lot like a Facebook page.
I used this while the class read The Ranger’s Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan. I assigned one of the three major characters to each student, and they were tasked with creating a Fakebook page for their assigned character. Continue reading
Twitter is the place to be. If you want up to date information, feedback, PD, or pretty much anything, Twitter is likely a great place to go. The problem with Twitter? How do you manage it when there are several hashtags you wish to follow? What about those amazing Twitter chats you keep hearing about?
Video. Kids love clips. They can be a great way to hook students when starting a lesson. They are great for reinforcing lessons after you have taught it. They are all over YouTube and the internet. But…