A Principal's Reflections
DECEMBER 11, 2013
'I n my opinion one of the most important roles in any school is that of Media Specialist. Over the years I have longed to create a position that would serve a multi-faceted role of librarian, media specialist, and educational technologist. The challenge for me though was that Shannon Miller''s , Joyce Valenza''s , and Gwyneth Jones''s don''t grow on trees.
Tom Murray
DECEMBER 26, 2013
'The role of the typical school district technology director has become obsolete. Speak with your average teacher in many school districts in the U.S., and you’ll find the technology department is better known for getting in the way than for serving the educational needs of both staff and students. Many technology departments, led by obsolete tech directors, are inadvertently inhibiting learning.
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The Web20Classroom
DECEMBER 9, 2013
'I regularly use images in presentations. Pictures can be a great way to share a particular message, or can be used to create the imagery I am trying convey. But sometimes I want my images to have a little extra umph. I want to be able to use one image and have it contain lots of information. Enter ThingLink. Thinglink allows you to upload an image, grab one from Facebook, import from Flickr or use a picture from the web.
Educational Technology Guy
DECEMBER 31, 2013
'Evernote is my main tool for work and home. I''ve been using it for 5 years and love it. It can be tough for someone new to Evernote to get started with it. Here is a great article by an on-line friend of mine, Tim Stiffler-Dean, about how Evernote can be a little overwhelming at first and how to get over that. Here is also a great article, and video, from Evernote on getting started and my main Evernote page has ideas on getting started.
This white paper examines and proposes revisions to the "Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education" introduced by Arthur Chickering and Zelda Gamson in 1987 for today's technology-driven world.
Baker's B.Y.O.D.
DECEMBER 1, 2013
'I couldn''t afford the cost of attending the entire NCTE conference this year in Boston, but I was able to attend and present at the Conference on English Leadership , an intimate conference tied to the main NCTE event that was held November 24-26. The 2013 CEL convention focused on the theme of Transformative Literary Leadership and Learning, and my session was STOP BLEEDING RED INK: Using Paper and Online tools to assist in evaluating student work.
The 21st Century Principal
DECEMBER 15, 2013
'"Since the formation of the United States of America, there has been debate over the roles and purposes of education." Christopher Tienken & Donald Orlich, The School Reform Landscape: Fraud, Myth, and Lies Because educational policymakers were so successful in using the Sputnik incident in promoting new education policy and change, it seems we have a new "Sputnik-moment" every 10 years or so, and with Arne Duncan, we seem to have one every time the latest round of PISA scores are released.
EdTech Update brings together the best content for education technology professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Tom Murray
DECEMBER 26, 2013
'Every year, school districts around the country waste a tremendous amount of time and money on ineffective professional development. The traditional model of “sit and get,” where a one-size-fits-all approach is utilized, yields abhorrent results. Ask teachers from typical school districts in America their thoughts on traditional in-service time, and the feedback won’t be pretty.
The Web20Classroom
DECEMBER 29, 2013
'As 2013 comes to a close let''s take a quick look at the most popular posts here over the course of the last year. It seems the voices, both for and against the Common Core State Standards got louder over the past year. Wherever you come down on the debate I hope we can all agree that, in most cases, summative assessments have their place. But in day-to-day learning in the classroom formative assessments give us a truer picture of how are kids are learning and how our teaching needs to adapt.
Educational Technology Guy
DECEMBER 23, 2013
'I am the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for an urban public school district. We have over 21,000 students, 3500 faculty and staff, 40 buildings, 15,000 devices, a full data center and fiber network, and an IT department staff of 15. We manage multiple large IT projects at once, including desktops, Chromebooks, Smartboards, network upgrades, Kronos, printers, new school construction, multiple network applications and software, and also consult on all technology issues and purchases in the distr
Kathy Schrock
DECEMBER 6, 2013
'Since this blog IS the Kaffeeklatsch, I thought I should share some of the ways people have been using coffee analogies to explain the SAMR model. I cannot vouch for the analogies, but thought it was interesting this seems to be a common practice! The SAMR Model The image below was created by Jonathan Brubaker and appeared in a blog post here. SAMR Model and Starbuck''s Coffee SAMR vs.
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The 21st Century Principal
DECEMBER 29, 2013
'Evenote, as I''ve posted many times, is such a versatile application that every educator is bound to find it useful. Besides the fact that you can access the application across devices, there are some additional extensions and tablet apps that make it even more useful and versatile for the school leader and classroom teacher. C heck out each of these tablet apps and Chrome extensions to extend the usefulness of the application even further. iOS and Tablet Apps vJournal: v Journal is a simple, f
A Principal's Reflections
DECEMBER 4, 2013
'The following post was written by Laura Fleming who is the Media Specialist at my school. It is also cross-posted at her blog Worlds of Learning. Here Laura describes our philosophy and journey to create a Makerspace for our students. Setting up a Makerspace has been a priority of mine from the moment I started here at New Milford High School , and it’s already well on its way to being achieved.
Tom Murray
DECEMBER 26, 2013
'Each week, educators from around the world take part in various conversations on Twitter known as “chats.” These conversations have become an excellent way for educators to connect on relevant topics, share resources and best practices, all while challenging each other’s thinking. The premise of a Twitter chat is simple. Each lasts for 60 minutes, moderators pose questions on a predetermined topic, and participants use a consistent hashtag (#) to communicate.
The Mobile Native
DECEMBER 14, 2013
'Using iPads in the Classroom 1. Only One iPad in the Classroom? 2. iPad Apps Separated by Subject Area 3. iPad and iPod Resources 4. The 55 Best Free Educational Apps for iPad 5. 15 Literacy Apps to Create Books on the iPad 6. 23 Ways to Use the iPad in a PBL Classroom 7. Middle School iPad Apps 8. Interesting Ways to Use iPads in the Classroom 9. 39 Sites for Using iPads in the Classroom 10. 50 Resources for Using iPads in the Classroom 11. iPad Resources Worth Exploring 12.
Speaker: Chris Paxton McMillin, President of D3 Training Solutions
There are plenty of great authoring tools for developing eLearning, but the one you select could directly impact your course's outcomes. Depending upon your learners’ needs and your organization’s performance goals, you could be overlooking considerations that impact the both effectiveness of your courses and how long it takes to finish them. From general capabilities to specific workflow structures, some aspects are critical when it comes to learning objectives and deadlines.
Educational Technology Guy
DECEMBER 20, 2013
'By: Rob May, CEO, Backupify More and more schools today are moving their data to the cloud, and more specifically to Google Apps. In the past two years, there has been a 100 percent increase in the number of students using Google Apps for Education – with 72 of the top 100 Universities (based on US News & World Report) using Google Apps and saving upwards of $1.5M annually.
The Innovative Educator
DECEMBER 29, 2013
'While some school districts have banned the use of social media because of fears of inappropriate use and distracting students, in an unprecedented move, the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) has reached out to students, teachers, and parents as partners to create guidelines for the appropriate use of social media for personal and academic purposes.
The 21st Century Principal
DECEMBER 18, 2013
'If your web experience has been like mine lately, you have probably noticed more auto audio and video ads playing as you access web pages. These auto-audio ads can really be a nuisance. Of course you can turn your Volume off, but every time you need the volume, you must turn it on again. I explored the web forums just a bit, and I think I have found a solution for Chrome Browser users.
A Principal's Reflections
DECEMBER 15, 2013
'This post is the fifth in a series that will outline the foundational elements of my new book, Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times. It is set to be published by Corwin Press on January 14, 2014. Currently there is a pre-publication discount of 15% for any orders before this date. Over the next couple of weeks I will introduce what I have come to identify as the Pillars of Digital Leadership , a conceptual framework for leaders to begin thinking about changes to professiona
Speaker: Amanda Davis, Chief Experience Officer and Liam O'Malley, VP of Association Solutions
The "new normal" is now a little less new, a little more normal. Does that mean your current LMS strategy is in need of a refresh? Is your organization or association leaning into the always-evolving eLearning environment to ensure you have the tools and content to remain relevant through all this change? There are many complex decision-making processes within your learning & development strategy and LMS lifecycle management, including: Selection.
Tom Murray
DECEMBER 26, 2013
'Recently, I had the opportunity to record a Google Hangout with four connected educators on “Growing Your PLN.” Lyn Hilt (@l_hilt), Nick Provenzano (@thenerdyteacher), Lisa Dabbs (@teachingwthsoul) and Patrick Larkin (@patrickmlarkin) joined the conversation and shared a wealth of advice on how educators can develop a strong personal learning network.
EdTechSandyK
DECEMBER 31, 2013
'Photo courtesy photos-public-domain.com OK educators. It''s time to put the skills you have to work with ALL of the people in your lives, not just the ones you call your students. This may also include yourselves. It''s time to promote self-restraint. And critical thinking. And research skills. It''s time to be OK with gently correcting even the adults in your life.
Educational Technology Guy
DECEMBER 13, 2013
'Google has just released Google Tips , quick, easy tips for using Google Products. It is setup in a card format, using simple, easy terms (not tech-speak). You can see them all, mobile, home, office, or by product. Click on the card to get more info. Most have some kind of video to show you how to do it, or very simple instructions. This is a great resource for anyone, especially schools using Google apps.
Baker's B.Y.O.D.
DECEMBER 22, 2013
'Autocrat is a versatile mail merge script created by Andrew Stillman that can be used to generate and send documents to recipients. You can send letters, assignments , grades & comments , lesson plans , and more with Autocrat. Big thanks to Cheryl Morris for teaching me about Autocrat for assignment delivery ! General Steps: 1. Create master template Google document that includes the mail merge tags: > 2.
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The 21st Century Principal
DECEMBER 31, 2013
'"In a linked world and a relationship economy, isolation costs too much," writes Jeff Jarvis in his book Public Parts: How Sharing in the Digital Age Improves the Way We Work and Live. Jarvis''s argument is clear: In today''s digital world, the cost of not being connected is too great. We live in what he also refers to as a "relationship economy" where value is derived from the quality of our relationships, and these relationships come from our sharing of ourselves with others on the web.
A Principal's Reflections
DECEMBER 22, 2013
'This post is the sixth in a series that will outline the foundational elements of my new book, Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times. It is set to be published by Corwin Press on January 14, 2014. Currently there is a pre-publication discount of 15% for any orders before this date. Over the next couple of weeks I will introduce what I have come to identify as the Pillars of Digital Leadership , a conceptual framework for leaders to begin thinking about changes to professiona
Tom Murray
DECEMBER 26, 2013
'Schools around the country are being cleaned, waxed, and made to look their best in preparation for another year. It’s about this time when principals begin planning for the new year. Data is analyzed, goals are formed, schedules reworked, communication to parents planned, etc. But where does school culture fit into planning for next year? What steps can principals take to build a positive school culture and strong team?
The Innovative Educator
DECEMBER 22, 2013
'High school student Courtney Gressman made a powerful public service announcement as part of her social studies class titled “ Learning is NATURAL. The Way We Learn Should Be OPTIONAL.” Unlike most high school students, however, her work didn’t stay locked in the walls of the classroom. Gressman explains, “Our class is a very opinionated group of independent, connected learners.
Speaker: Aaron Webb, Jamf
Apple empowers educators and students by design. Whether using Macs, iPads, or Apple TV, Apple devices encourage creativity and can simplify teaching with apps to make the classroom more flexible, collaborative and personalized for each student. To unleash the full potential of the technology and create the best learning environment, you need to understand the tools and resources available, and develop an education-focused, comprehensive plan, from equipment purchase to deployment, management an
SpeechTechie
DECEMBER 6, 2013
'The finalists for the 2013 Edublog Awards were just announced, and voting is now open. The Edublog Awards is an annual initiative to promote the value of social media in education and share some great resources. Speech-language-related blogs and resources again are well-represented among this year''s finalists, so I would encourage you to go explore and vote.
EdTechSandyK
DECEMBER 29, 2013
'Digital citizenship is a topic that has become increasingly important in recent years as young people and adults alike negotiate what it means to be a participant in the largely public and searchable online world. Hardly a day goes by where we don''t hear a story in the news about someone making a misstep in the digital realm that translates into consequences for them and those around them.
The 21st Century Principal
DECEMBER 1, 2013
'For those still holding out hope for that merit pay will be the salvation of public education, here''s yet another study that points out that such practices are a waste of time. Roland Fryer from Harvard University and the National Bureau of Economic Research, has a study entitled "Teacher Incentives and Student Achievement: Evidence from New York City Public Schools" that is to be published in The Journal of Labor Economics.
A Principal's Reflections
DECEMBER 1, 2013
'This post is the third in a series that will outline the foundational elements of my new book, Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times. It is set to be published by Corwin Press on January 14, 2014. Currently there is a pre-publication discount of 15% for any orders before this date. Over the next couple of weeks I will introduce what I have come to identify as the Pillars of Digital Leadership , a conceptual framework for leaders to begin thinking about changes to professiona
This whitepaper explores integrating the PowerTeaching pedagogical approach within a HyFlex (Hybrid Flexible) educational model, focusing on employing cooperative learning strategies and efficient classroom management techniques.
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