Connected Educator Month

CLICK HERE for Additional resources for Connected Educator Month 2014

Welcome Back!

We are pleased to share with district teachers our second installment of Tech News! In this installment we offer links to Digital Citizenship resources, information about district programs and trainings, a spotlight on middle school uses of technology, and MUCH MORE!
CHECK IT OUT -- Click the image below:

 

Teachers never stop learning.

And just because students are no longer filling the classrooms, that doesn’t mean teachers coast through the summer months without a thought of improving teaching and learning with technology.  Even if attending a professional development session wasn’t in the plans during summer, teachers can create their own ways to develop professionally.    
Here are 8 favorite sources and places that provide great food for thought, inspiration, and ideas for making the upcoming school year even better:

1.  Author and educational technologist Adam Bellow delivers the closing keynote of ISTE 2013 with a high-energy presentation reveling in the joys of being a connected educator in these amazing times. Showcasing stories of inspiration from classrooms around the world and anecdotes from Bellow's career, and highlight inspiration from classrooms around the world. Bellow invites you to challenge yourself to make a difference in your school with creativity and kindness.

 

While at YouTube, check out YouTube EDU where learners and educators are brought together.  Check out educational videos, lessons, and more.

2. and 3.  Here is a two-in-one recommendation:  While this is dated by a year, Edudemic is a great source for anything to do with educational technology.  In this link: http://www.edudemic.com/2012/03/25-ted-talks-perfect-for-classrooms/ a list of 25 TED Talks are suggested.  They vary in content, purpose and quality, but there are surely ideas that inspire.

4.  According to Richard Byrne, creator of the Free Technology for Teachers blog, "The purpose of this site is to share information about free resources that teachers can use in their classrooms."  Check it out: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/

5. Pinterest's Education boards are an excellent way to find (and pin!) ideas for the classroom: http://pinterest.com/all/education/

6. and 7.  Here is another two-in-one:  MindShift is a great blog to read, and this July 8, 2013 blog post specifically offers a list of "13 Free Web Tools Students and Teachers Should Know About." This blog, as well as the others listed above, can be a springboard to other resources - so check out links on the pages!

8. Rediscover Discovery Education!  Go through the ISEE portal to access SchoolNet where the Discovery Education link is located. Not only are there material for students, but there is also a Professional Development tab that links to ways to get the most out of Discovery Ed. 

 

 

So You're Ready to Start Blogging...

As you start to look for the best blogging platform to meet your needs, you should ask yourself this question first... Is this blog going to be used to inform parents and students about the happenings in your class OR are you wanting your students create their own blogs and use them like an e-portfolio?  By answering this question, the platform you choose might change. Please keep in mind you can achieve both outcomes with any blogging platform you choose, it's just that a couple of blogging platforms make student blogging a little simpler than others.

Teacher blogs for class information...

The following links  Top 10 Free Online Blogging Platforms by Sufyan bin Uzayr and
7 Best Blogging Platforms by Harry Marks do a great job of explaining the positives of each platform. Give it a look, and I am sure it will help  you make your platform decision easier. As for our blog, we are using Blogger. Simply because we were familiar with the format and because of our uses for Google+ and Google Docs.

Student blogs for sharing...

Any blogging platform would work to achieve this BUT... all of the platforms in Top 10 Free Online Blogging Platforms and 7 Best Blogging Platforms require an email address and would be hard for the teachers to monitor student posts and productivity. For this reason Kidblog.org or edublogs.org are the way to go. Both platforms give the teacher admin rights to student blogs which make management very simple. Kidblog.org is free and edublogs.org has a free aspect but all the good stuff only comes with a pro membership ($40 a year). The following links give pros and cons for each of the platforms: Using KidBlog to Publish Student Work Online by www.maupinhouse.com and Education-Specific Blogging: Edublogs Reviewed by DegreeDirectory.org.

No matter which platform you use they all achieve the same outcome... sharing your thoughts and creating materials for a larger audience. Happy blogging!