By itself, technology can’t teach all learners as it is a tool or platform for learning, not the wonderful, messy process of learning itself.  However, in the hands of a gifted teacher, it can break down barriers making student learning accessible for emerging learners. I love this presentation released today from the K-12 Online Conference by Cheryl Steele Oakes on "Digital Tools for Challenged Learners."  It details some of the tool she uses to help challenged and emerging learners use technology to be more successful in their learning environment:   This presentation includes tools I have not seen in action before, and is well worth your 16 minutes!  Enjoy. Digital Tools for Challenged Learners- Leveling the Playing Field! via K-12 Online Conference The post Using technology to reach all students: "Digital Tools for Challenged Learners" from K-12 Online 2014 appeared first on NCCE's Tech-Savvy Teacher Blog.

Looking for a platform that works within Google Apps for Education and supports computers, iPads, Chromebooks, and Android tablets?  You need to check out SMART Technologies latest platform: SMART amp.  SMART graciously gave us a preview of this exciting new platform at ISTE this year and we are VERY impressed with the open nature of the platform and the vast support of devices.  SMART amp’s goal is to accomplish every teachers goal, learning in the classroom: SMART amp is designed specifically for educators. Its power is unlocking the potential of technologies that aren’t. It enhances collaboration, content creation, communication, sharing and assessment from anywhere, on whatever device is being used. The video below does a great job of framing how the software can work in your classroom:   SMART is offering a free 90 day trial to test the platform for yourself.  We highly recommend taking the time to collaborate with SMART amp! The post First Look: SMART amp appeared first on NCCE's Tech-Savvy Teacher Blog.

You’re probably familiar with this scenario: students are assigned a research project, they go online to find their facts, and you are given a bibliography with good online resources that students found. When you ask students to show you where the information can be found on the website, they shrug and say "I don’t know - but I know I read it." Linking to an entire webpage may be good, but getting to students to point to a specific part of the web page they used for research is better. Welcome CiteBite to your research tools. CiteBite doesn’t just link you to a web page, but to the exact part of the page you are quoting (or referencing, or want someone to read when they visit the link). No registration necessary, CiteBite works by a)pasting the text you want to quote and b)pasting the URL of the site. Within  a few minutes, you have a unique URL that will highlight the text you quoted on the page itself. Compare this link (a list of quirky Amazon product reviews) with this one ( my favorite review on that same page).   Users can create hyperlinks to reference specific resources for  research papers, emails, presentations, and any other method for sharing information. Teaching students to hyperlink to an electronic source they reference helps create authority and promotes Digital Citizenship. It encourages them to use information effectively and know the source they are citing. Go try it yourself at http://www.citebite.com. The post From the Tech-Savvy Librarian: CiteBite for Research appeared first on NCCE's Tech-Savvy Teacher Blog.

Thursday, October 30 • 4:00pm - 5:00pm EST Connected Educators Webinar - ABCs of Advocacy:  Making Our Voices Carry Election day is days away and advocating on behalf of education technology has never been more important. Gain a better understanding of the education issues under debate in the nation’s capital and state legislatures across the country. Learn about the successful advocacy strategies used by ISTE members, develop your advocacy action plan and discover the wealth of tools and resources available via the ISTE Advocacy NetworkRegister here | Attend the webinar here Speakers: Amy Perry-DelCorvo, CEO/Executive Director, NYSCATE Wendy Haskell, President, MASSCUE, and Director of Technology and Libraries, Falmouth Public Schools Chris Johnson, Chair, Advocacy and Public Policy, AZTEA, and Assistant Professor, University of Arizona Ally Bernstein, Associate Federal and State Legislative Counsel, Bernstein Strategy Group The post Connected Educators Free Webinar - ABCs of Advocacy appeared first on NCCE's Tech-Savvy Teacher Blog.

Happy Friday tech-savvy teachers!  I leave you this week with an incredibly interesting story from the excellent WNYC Podcast, New Tech City, on the open question of the amount of screentime that is appropriate for younger kids. This topic is, of course, very near and dear to classroom teachers as more and more technology is available to assist (or distract from?) learning in our classrooms.  Manoush Zomorodi takes a novel approach with this story: she asked the titans of Silicon Valley to weigh in: how much screentime do geeky parents allow their kids?  The answer may surprise you: Enjoy! The post Philosophical Friday: New Tech City Takes on Screentime for Kids appeared first on NCCE's Tech-Savvy Teacher Blog.

The largest ed-tech conference in the Northwest is now accepting registrations! Register now to qualify for early registration fees and secure your spot for 2015’s leading experience to learn, lead and innovate.   INDIVIDUAL PRICING (before 2.20.2015) Full-Conference - $350 ($375 for non-member) One-Day            - $175 ($200 for non-member) Make Your Future Summit (summit only) - $220 ($245 for non-member) NEW! Full-Conference and Summit - $455 ($480 for non-member) GROUP REGISTRATION-THE WHOLE ‘OHANA! Opens November 20, 2015 NCCE 2015 offers an incredible networking experience and hundreds of professional development opportunities for your entire team. If your school or district brings five or more individuals, you can take advantage of our incentive program. To qualify for group rates, the group must be staying within the NCCE housing block. Group rates are for full-conference registrations and are the same price for members and nonmembers. GROUP PRICING STRUCTURE 5-9 Registrations- $330/per person 10-19 Registrations- $315/per person 20+ Registrations- $300/per person   LODGING MAKE YOUR RESERVATION TODAY!  NCCE has secured an exclusive group rate for $149 per night at the Doubletree by Hilton Portland. The discounted conference rates at this hotel are available until 2.22.2015 or until the limited hotel block is sold out.   The post NCCE 2015 Conference Registration now open! appeared first on NCCE's Tech-Savvy Teacher Blog.

PBS Newshour has created a great Veterans Day lesson focused on grades 5-12.  The lesson pulls resources from the History Channel to give students background knowledge of our veterans and what it means to serve.  The lesson dives into the current issues our country is facing around providing proper and timely care for our veterans. In addition, a great interactive timeline of US involvement in wars has been provided from the History Channel. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/lessons_plans/veterans-day/   The post Veterans Day resources from PBS Newshour appeared first on NCCE's Tech-Savvy Teacher Blog.

NCCE is pleased to release our Advanced Program for the NCCE 2015 conference in Portland!  We will be featuring stories and tips and tricks from across our lineup over the coming weeks before the conference, including expert advice from Malbert Smith III, Jeff Charbonneau, Douglas Kiang, Nikki D. Robertson, Tom Daccord, Jeff Utecht, Sonja Delafosse, Joe Dockery and of course, Richard, Mike and Jason… the NCCE Tech-Savvy Teachers!  Early registration pricing is available now, so, don’t wait!  See you in Portland! The post NCCE 2015 Advanced Program Now Available! appeared first on NCCE's Tech-Savvy Teacher Blog.

Last summer, I was fortunate to attend ISTE in Atlanta. I spent 5 days connecting, learning, dreaming, and being challenged by the wealth of information and resources provided by the participants and speakers. It was there I met Nikki D. Robertson, an instructional technology facilitator (and library super star) from Alabama. Nikki will be hosting our Teacher-Librarian at NCCE in March, so I wanted you to get to know her. I asked her to share her experiences, technology loves, and other stories from her career. Name: Nikki D Robertson Location: Huntsville, AL Current job: Instructional Technology Facilitator Current computer: MacBook Air Current mobile device: iPhone 4 One word that best describes how you teach or work: Enthusiastic Show us a shot of your mobile device’s home screen! What apps/software/tools can you not live without?: Google…My entire personal and professional life resides in the Google universe. What is your favorite avenue to connect with social media?: Hands down my favorite avenue to connect with social media is Twitter. Hello. My name is Nikki. I’m a Twitterholic. When you are not living the glamorous work life, what do you like to do in your spare time for fun?: Well, when I walk the red carpet to my car for the 45 minute drive home I enjoy listening to audiobooks and/or NPR. This is about the only time I have to actually "read" a novel or work of nonfiction. Most evenings you will find me attached to my computer engrossed in a Twitter chat and/or reading, sharing and archiving posts via my Flipboard app, or working on a presentation or blog post. (Yes. These things are FUN!) I’m also a big "foodie", love to travel, seek live outdoor "artsy" music venues, spend time sitting around fire pits catching up with friends, and visiting with my grandchildren. What is your workspace/classroom like? (Take a photo please!): My workspaces are the classrooms of our 1:1 & BYOD teachers. My school district had the incredible vision to embed an Instructional Technology Facilitator in each school as part of the district’s 1:1 initiative. Thus, I get the opportunity to work with teachers and students in the environment in which they feel most comfortable to integrate technology seamlessly into the curriculum, rather than teaching a technology skill in isolation. What app or web service, not currently in existence, do you wish someone would develop?: Teleportation. Who are your influences in the education community?: My influences in the education community are those people who are willing to connect, share, learn and grow by contributing to the conversation on Twitter especially during Twitter chat sessions. Each time I participate in a Twitter chat I discover great new friends to add to my PLN…The educators who are a constant source of inspiration, support, and friendship include my TL Community members. — Nikki has received numerous awards and recognition for her work with teachers and students. She received the ASLA Ann Marie Pipkin Technology Award, she was named one of the top 3 contributors to #Edchat, SLJ recognized her innovate use of Pinterest, a Bammy Award nominee, and cohost of #TL News Night! (which we look forward to each month). Her blog has received accolades from Edudemic, Best Colleges Online, and the ELiterate Librarian. Spend 5 minutes talking to her and you will know that she is passionate about learning, teaching, and living life as an adventure. Join her (and Morgen Larsen and me) this March for a powerful day of learning, laughing, and leading. In the meantime, follow Nikki on Twitter or catch up with her blog to be inspired by her and her students. As always, share your comments below! Richard   Richard Snyder is a National Board certified teacher-librarian in the Lake Washington School District and serves on the Board of Directors for the Northwest Council for Computer Education (NCCE). He regularly plans and teaches technology staff development classes for teachers in his district and other workshops. He has worked with new teachers and new teacher-librarians at Western Washington University and The University of Washington. He also teaches a graduate Technology in Education course at Seattle Pacific University. He has presented at NCCE, IETA, and district meetings. When not in school, Richard tries to fill up his passport with as many stamps as time and budget will allow (upcoming trips include France, Norway, and Bhutan). The post Meet a Tech-Savvy Teacher! Nikki Robertson appeared first on NCCE's Tech-Savvy Teacher Blog.

With Common Core and its associated exams putting laser focus on reading in the classroom like never before, there is a growing debate on the role of technology and our prolific digital devices on our reading skill and the brain. I am incredibly interested in this topic as it relates to a growing movement in K-12 schools.  With districts moving towards digital materials, either in the DIY playlist format or with the assistance of traditional publishers, students aren’t universal in their support and often prefer the old-fashioned alternative in print. For better or for worse, digital reading is different than its analog counterpart.  The ability to quickly shift topics and follow leads (have you ever been caught in a Wikipedia trap? :)) makes the reading event different. New Tech City takes on this topic and looks at the impact of our digital devices on reading.  The results are fascinating: our brains may be changing to compensate for the way information is presented to us with digital devices, but, there may be impact in our ability to read deeply (Common Core, anyone?). Listen here:   The ‘Bi-literate’ Brain: The Key to Reading in a Sea of Screens from New Tech City, WNYC The post Philosophical Friday: The Future of Reading appeared first on NCCE's Tech-Savvy Teacher Blog.