Primary teacher & connected educator Kathy Cassidy summarizes the first year of one-to-one Apple iPads in her classroom of six-year olds. Cassidy offers a crisp summary of each aspect of the experience, with lots of great photos!
As much as teachers may want to be told what to do with new technology, says principal Matt Renfrew, professional developers can end up limiting potential when they plan for specific outcomes rather than possibilities. Renwick put the conversation ahead of the tools and the enthusiasm was contagious.
Do you use a Learning Management System? Because I can’t function efficiently without them. I’m an online teacher. When I assign activities, it’s online. When I give out readings, videos to watch, and other assignments, it’s all online. Without an LMS, these assignments get messy. With students in different age groups, in different places and contexts, I cannot imagine how I’d keep track of what’s been assigned, when it’s due, who’s completed it (and when), and where the email is they attached it to. For me, an LMS is one giant teacher notebook.
Evernote can be a great application for teachers, both to keep yourself coordinated and to facilitate student learning. School-based technology director Jennifer Carey talks educators through getting started and highlights several ways she’s used Evernote to “not only make my life a little easier as a teacher, but to help my students and my classroom stay more focused and organized.”
The beauty of blog-based digital portfolios, says teacher-author Kathy Cassidy, “is that as the children and I are constantly assessing their learning in a formative and summative way, the students are also demonstrating their growing knowledge for a wide audience and learning about digital citizenship and appropriate online behavior. What great by-products of the assessment process!”
When we read about engaging students in the classroom using technology and social media, authors often leave us with the impression that this work will flow gentle as a stream. When talking about motivation and learning in school, grit is most often left out of the conversation. Yet Dan Pink tells us the best predictor of success is grit, defined as perseverance and passion for long term goals. When we found the right authentic project, my 9th grade English learners showed they had the grit to write a 200pp collaborative book!
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