Back to School Changes

Hi all!  It is that time again, time for a brand new year!  I am very excited to spend my second year helping teachers to integrate technology at "the Creeks!"

This year brings some technology changes to our district.  See below for information on what's new in CISD!

To make this presentation full screen (recommended), click on the square icon next to Slide 1/13 above.

Alternative Presentation Tools

Teachers are always asking me for tools that provide an alternative to the same old Power Point presentation. If you wonder this too, check out this post from the Blog "Stretch Your Digital Dollar"

Powerpoint Shmowerpoint: Teach kids to create really engaging presentations

Summer is a fantastic time to play and learn!  When you need a break from the heat, try some of these tools on for size!

Digital Storytelling

I love technology and I love writing stories.  For me, digital storytelling is super exciting because it melds the two together.  I will be teaching digital storytelling at the CISD Summer Conference and hope some of you will be attending.  I have been working with several new tools to prepare for the session.  One that I just had to share was www.storybird.com 

Storybird has a variety of  artwork in its art gallery that students choose from to illustrate their books. I think this is awesome because it acts as an artful resource so that the students can simply focus in on their writing and thinking.  I also just now learned that teachers can create accounts with sub-accounts for students...so easy!  Teachers can also create assignments for the students within Storybird!  Not only that, students can invite others to collaborate on their stories and purchase the completed stories in hard copy form!

Here's an example:

Season's Greetings on Storybird

I am looking for a class to test with...any takers????

Things I Love About My Job (A Non-Comprehensive List)

This year has been tough to say the least.  Beginning a new faction of a career is never easy, no matter how exciting that new thing is. (And for the record, my perfectionist nature makes me a terrible new person.) As I reflect on the end of the year though, I am awed at the incredible growth my campuses have experienced, the growth that I have experienced too.  And though we have further to go and more mountains to conquer, though I have way more to learn, let me tell you some of the things I have loved about this year...

1. Seeing a teacher's first tweets after seeing the beauty of a Twitter PLN
2. Hearing the chatter of students as they Glog for the first time
3. Experiencing chicks hatching live because of a well placed webcam and UStream
4. Answering Team C's question of the day while collaborating with the head of the team on any and every tech tool known to man
5. Spreading QR code love to some tech savvy and brave teachers when others just saw crazy black and white bar patterns
6. Taking Kindergarteners to the moon with Google Earth
7. Designing and training some awesome sessions with some super smart teammates, especially the one held in the Cottonwood Lounge...um, library.
8. Getting excited to learn again...can anyone say, Flubaroo?
9. Planning lessons that excite and challenge kids, teachers, and sometimes me.
10. Visiting many types of classrooms and being knocked out at the talent, commitment and teaching methods my teachers have.

That is not a comprehensive list, but it does contain some highlights...What have your highlights been?

WebDoc

My pal and fellow teammate Polly just shared with me a cool new website called WebDoc.  I am still playing with it, but check out what it can do!

So I Have the iTouches, Now What?

It's an exciting time at the Creeks!  Both campuses have gotten some iTouches and have begun implementing their use in the classroom.  Now that we have the resources, it's time to figure out the best way to use them!

Here are my top 5 tips for starting out with iTouches:

1. Take time to play. Become familiar with the apps available to you.  If you don't know how to use them, you won't be able to assist your students to get the most out of them. (And it's fun!! :)
2. Make an date with your i-Teamer and/or your team to plan.  Remember that technology integration is not about using technology just to use technology.  Work together to find apps that naturally enhance your classroom curriculum.  The iTouches should be another tool in your teacher arsenal. 
3. Prepare a classroom management plan.  Just like you wouldn't have students on lab computers doing whatever they found, you don't want your kids to be randomly searching and using apps.  Take time to discuss which apps you will be using and behavior expectations at the beginning of every iTouch use.
4. Think outside of the App.  Remember that apps are just the beginning.  With Safari, you can create web shortcuts easily on your home screen so that students can use the web on the touches.  Also, think about some of the utilities like the camera, voice memos, iTunes, etc.  They can bring a whole new level to your iTouch use.
5. Start slow and breathe.  There are many resources and channels that can help you to build your knowledge.  No one is an expert over night.  Start by getting comfortable with one or two apps and build.  Use resources like Twitter, YouTube and Podcasts to learn more about what others are doing.  I highly recommend Tony Vincent's Learning in Hand site.

Got some ideas of your own?  Let us know in the comments!!!

Becoming a Technology Integrated Classroom

In the rush of our daily teacher lives, sometimes it is an understatement to say we struggle to "fit it all in." We are pulled in many directions - and it is overwhelming to say the least.

I say this because I know folks think sometimes that technology is just another straw on the fire. I am here to tell you, it doesn't have to be.

The goal of technology integration is that it becomes second nature - that technology is folded in to the planning process because it makes sense, not because there is a cool tool or because you "have to".

There is a great article in this week's TCEA e-newsletter called Technology Integration Process that outlines the goals using a real teacher example.

I invite you to read the article and then participate in a discussion by commenting on this post or by visiting my Technology Integration VoiceThread here.

What does Technology Integration mean to you?

Is it attainable based on the description in the article?

What steps have you taken or how will you take steps to make your classroom more integrated?