North Idaho EdTech

One major topic that I've spent a lot of work time on the last few weeks is Digital Citizenship. I've been working on creating a course for students as well as a quick introduction for staff to bring these essential ideas into the forefront of our students' (and teachers') minds as we embark on the implementation of the Idaho Core. Part of my research has led me to an idea that I've taught my students in the past, and work with other teachers on using in the classroom, which is effective search skills with search engines. Whether a person is using Google, Yahoo, Bing, or any other search engine, knowing how to cipher through the list of results and find things that are relevant and useful can be a chore. One thing that I've found through my own searching and through suggestions by others (thanks  +Jeff Utecht /@jutecht and a reminder from a teacher in my district @117rocks) is A Google a Day . This search game can act as a great way to start a class or reinfor...

Previously, I posted about using the SAMR model, developed by Dr. Ruben R. Puentedura, founder of Hippasus, to work on purpose with technology use in the classroom. As I began reflecting, reading posts of others on the topic, as well as talking with practicing teachers in my district about the SAMR model, I realized that there needed to be more discussion around the practical use of the model. Below, I created a stream-of-consciousness line of thinking to show my thoughts. Once I started to really think about the SAMR model and how I would use it to develop professional development, I also started to think about how I could help teachers in my district realistically use the model to guide their own preparation and teaching. I came up with this thought pattern, which mimics some of the examples given by Dr. Puentedura in this slideshow . I am also drawing some ideas from an article in Education Week's Teacher Leader Network (TLN) by Jennie Magiera  and a blog post by Beth Holl...

One of the most handy functions in Google Drive is the sharing settings. This allows me to share any document that I own in my Google Drive with anyone that I want to who also has a Google Drive; but, sometimes I want to share a document with a wider audience (i.e., parents, community members, etc.). So how can I do this and still control how that document in viewed. One great option that is provided in Google Drive is the Publish option. This is available for documents that are part of the Google Apps family (i.e., documents, presentations, spreadsheets and drawings). When you do this, it creates a page where anyone can view your document, presentation, spreadsheet or drawing for informational purposes. This also makes a nice, web-friendly, version of your file that allows for easy embedding into your website, blog, or other online space. I really like to use this when I want students to create something that they are going to share on our website, blogs or wikis. Another reason f...

This year has been an amazing year for me and my PLN. It started last year at the local NCCE conference when I was able to network with many of the Northwest's prominent Ed Tech gurus and has grown quite a bit since. My main source, right now, is Twitter. Twitter does have its own negative connotations. Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, and others give it a sense of narcissism that is hard to escape. However, when used to follow people that are interested in the same idea as me, technology in the hands of students and teachers in classrooms, then it can be one of the most powerful connections for teachers. Even for all learners. One of the people that I've come to follow, Alice Keeler (who I've mentioned before) has some great tips and ideas for getting started on Twitter. She has an amazing blog, with a lot of great information, but her document on Twitter continues the same line of thought that I have with Twitter. That is, I have to make it work for me and what I want to ...

One of my favorite things about Google Forms is that the amount of class-work related things that it can automate for me. I’ve used them for quizzes, beginning of the year surveys, to collect web addresses, and much more. One of my favorite things to do with them is to collect student ideas and work. As a teacher of Advanced Placement Language and Composition students, I was collecting a large amount of written work daily. I wanted students to be able to share this written work amongst their classmates in an organized fashion, without doing the old-fashioned “Pass your notebook to your neighbor” process (not that it’s bad practice, but it never really allowed for full class discussion and it meant uncontrolledly sharing their private thoughts with the person who is next to them – some would even refuse). Then I discovered a way that the class could collaborate in small groups and present their ideas to everyone, controlling what they share and doing it all in a very safe environm...

In looking for a solution for teachers who need to have students grab a document and make a copy in Google drive from an iPad (which is not possible in the mobile version or the Drive app), I stumbled upon two great solutions for "passing out" templates to students. Both solutions require that there be a document template that you wish to "pass out" to students already created.  The first solution I found is a Google Script written by Arun Nagarajan. Using this script, a teacher can now give students a link or QR code that they navigate to and click "Open Document" which makes a copy of the original document directly into the students' Google Drive account.  To use this, follow the simple steps below. If you are using a Google account within the Cdaschools domain, you won't have to do anything special. If you are outside our domain, you'll want to set up your own version of the Google Script following  these directions given by the author...

Purpose is always something that, as teachers, we are asked to provide for students regarding everything that we do in the classroom. Why do they have to read that book? What are the uses of that skill outside of the classroom? When will we use that formula? Why are you assessing students in that manner? And so on... The same question applies to technology use in the classroom. We must always start our thinking with the purpose questions: Why are we using that tool? What purpose does it serve for students? What does technology allow students to do that they cannot do without it? Once we have found the answers to these questions, we are then able to take the technology and use it more effectively than ever before. One model that many teachers and educational technologists have started to use is referred to as the SAMR model. This was developed by Dr. Ruben R. Puentedura, founder of Hippasus, a consulting firm whose goal is to "help transform education by combining a broad range...