Tag Archives: edtech

How Much Minecraft is Too Much Minecraft?

Posted on by

Minecraft_Logo_03

Minecraft. That one word can evoke a wide range of reactions. For some, that reaction borders on hostile. Many react by ridiculing those who love the game. For me, it is an ever-changing reaction.

My daughter first started playing Minecraft about three years ago, more or less. When she started, it was very basic. We all played together, building grand houses and that was about it. She stuck with it, though her love of the game went through it’s own sort of metamorphosis. Now, she has exceeded the practical abilities of her tools.

Continue reading →

Google Certified Educator Level 1

Posted on by

Screenshot 2015-07-21 12.56.30

Ok, let me preface this post with the following:

If you are looking for inside information on what is on the test, you have come to the wrong blog spot. You would be better served by clicking HERE.

Now, on to the post.

I took the Google Certified Educator, Level 1 exam this morning. It allowed plenty of time, 3 hours. I went through the online course, and made sure to perform each and every task.  Continue reading →

The Power of the Parent

Posted on by

Ok, I know, some of you are wondering what this post is doing here. Stick it out, and we will get there.

Parents. That one word can evoke a wide range of reactions from teachers. After this many years in education, I think I have seen and/or experienced all of the possible reactions. The key to a child being successful is a team effort. How can we foster that partnership with parents, and how does EdTech factor in?

Continue reading →

50 Things You Can Do With Google Classroom by Alice Keeler and Libbi Miller

Posted on by

classroom

I had intended to read this one through the weekend, but to be honest, it’s a quick read, and I was rather into it, so I stayed up and finished it last night. Now, I need to preface this review with something… Continue reading →

Teach Like a PIRATE Book Review #tlap

Posted on by

pirate

This seems to be the summer of reading… wait, aren’t all summers summers of reading? No, hold on, reading is always good, summer or not.  Well anyway, enough of that. Recently, I finished a great book by Dave Burgess, Teach Like a PIRATE. Let me tell you, it was a treat.

Now, let’s start out with the nitty gritty. Yes, the word PIRATE is all in caps. That is intentional. Work with me here and we will get to that.

Continue reading →

Collaboration and Google Apps for Education (GAFE)

Posted on by

Yesterday, I participated in a great discussion about utilizing Google Apps for Education (GAFE) for collaboration. Tweets were flying back and forth with great ways to collaborate with peers. One of the things mentioned was that not all teachers are comfortable using EdTech to collaborate. In fact, there are many that are not comfortable with collaboration at all, EdTech or not. In the interest of giving some level of comfort to everyone, I decided this would make a great topic to blog.

Continue reading →

Easy Ways to EdTechinize a Classroom

Posted on by

Yes, I created that word…. EdTechinize. (well, I think I did at least) Lately, several people have made statements along the lines of how difficult it can be to bring technology into a classroom where there has never been tech before. More than a few fellow teachers have asked about easy ways to start to try bringing it in, so, VIOLA, here you go. Continue reading →

Teaching Science using EdTech

Posted on by

Ok, so yesterday I delved into teaching History/Social Studies using EdTech. While I started that as more of a personal flaying of myself for not having noticed just how under-taught history is in schools, it turned out to be a rather interesting and popular topic.

So, on that note, I am diving into the area of science. Another of those courses that often gets a raw deal. There are A LOT of teachers out there who are only concerned with their subject area. It’s the old “My subject is the most important yadda yadda yadda” syndrome. Or, the really vulgar thoughts, “My subject is tested this year, it counts more.” Continue reading →

Twitter, the Ultimate PLN and Global Connection

Posted on by

download

Twitter. People either love it, or they hate it. Those who hate it, tend to hate it vehemently. Those who love it, swear by it. You will find a few that fall somewhere in between.

Twitter has the ability to be incredibly powerful. Using Twitter, you have the ability to reach tens of thousands of people extremely quickly. That reach can be compounded through retweets. So your potential audience is HUGE!

Continue reading →