Welcome back for another #EdTechTidBits of the Week! From last week: Is there a problem with SAMR?, a new programming curriculum for K-6, make your own class badges, and a new app for LEGO Mindstorms!Article: "The problem with the SAMR model" +Eric Sheninger recently shared an interesting article by Trevor Shaw on the eSchool News website. The article is titled "The problem with the SAMR model" and it grabbed my attention immediately, as I am strong advocate for the SAMR model. If you're not familiar with the SAMR model, it was originally created by Dr. Ruben Peuntedura, who speaks and blogs about it at his weblog. The model is a tool for evaluating the integration of technology in the classroom. The gist of the article basically states three concerns: the definitions of the model can be a bit sticky, there is sometimes confusion over whether redefintion is the end goal, and a lack of focus on the learning goals. When I speak to educators about the SAMR model, and I too find myself having to clear up these misconceptions and concerns. But I still stand by the model as an effectives method of self-evaluation and reflection.Resource: New Programming Curriculum by KodableThe developers of the Kodable programming game for the computer, web, and iOS (Android coming soon!) recently released an entire Common Core aligned programming curriculum for grades K-6. The curriculum contains 4 units: Sequence, Conditions, Loops, and Functions. Each unit includes a teaching guide, vocabulary, unplugged activities, and Kodable activities. If you sign up for a free teacher account you get the first two units for free and you can track your students' progress via the Kodable teacher dashboard. The rest of the curriculum requires you to sign up for a paid Kodable School account (quotes required for pricing).Tool: Makebadges(beta) by MakewavesMakebadges - the badge design tool for schools - by Makewaves http://t.co/L2TxDsWvVz pic.twitter.com/JW9AYIVrpR— Kasey Bell (@ShakeUpLearning) April 29, 2015+Kasey Bell sent out a tweet (@ShakeUpLearning) about a simple, free, web-based, badge maker called Makebadges (by Makewaves). Choose a shape, an icon, a border, and your colors, and easily download your badge to share with your students. If you're thinking of giving badges a try in your classroom, this is a quick and easy tool. You can even upload your own icon into the badge maker.App: LEGO Mindstorms EV3 for iOSAt the beginning of April, LEGO released a new iPad app for the Mindstorms EV3 kit. With the purchase of a kit & software, you get access to the iPad app, which allows you to create programs for your EV3, follow six tutorials that teach you how to build and program, and access Help and Teacher Support.Thanks for checking out this edition of #EdTechTidBits of the Week! See you next week!Do you have any #EdTechTidBits to share? Add them in the comments below or use the hashtag.

I have five different EdTechTidBits to share with you this week. Google has 88 things to teach you, powerful results from a parent survey on the "digital classroom", a blog post of Jaymes Dec's visit to my school's FabLab, another inspirational TEDx talk, and a call to join the Maker Ed cause! Read on!Resource: "88 things you didn't know you could do with Google"This great +Google resource was shared by +Kasey Bell on Google+, "88 things you didn't know you could do with Google". Get step-by-step, how-to directions on variety of apps, skills, and functions involving Google products and devices. For example, how to customize your Gmail inbox, or how to create a group calendar. You can filter the list by categories and products.Did you know you can get your very own Google Doodle on your birthday? Check it out!Survey Results: "Parents weight in on the digital classroom"I learned about the results of this important survey from +Pete Hansen. The survey, "Parent's Attitudes Towards Educational Technology" was conducted by Lieberman Research Worldwide on behalf of MarketPlace, which has been studying the impact of technology in education for the past year.Here is the full report in PDF and here is a handy infographic.A few of my own observations:According to parents, most school work is still conducted on a home device while at home.98% of parents say their students use technology for school work.Online research seems to be the most popular need for technology.80% of parents feel that tech that allows them to access more information about their child helps them feel more in control.Data privacy is still a major concern.Blog post: Jaymes Dec Visits 'Iolani SchoolBack in March, my school ('Iolani School) was fortunate enough to have +Jaymes Dec visit and provide teacher workshops and MakerEd support. Jaymes currently serves as the Fab Lab Integrator for Marymount School in NYC. I first met Jaymes at Constructing Modern Knowledge last summer (an awesome MakerEd unconference!). Jaymes visited our school for the entire week, participating in activities in our upper and lower school Fab Labs (yes, we have 2 Fab Labs!). He also provided some great workshops for teachers and a few maker activities for students.Jaymes recently blogged about his experience at 'Iolani School. Read his blog post.Jayme's Dec provided workshops for teachers andMaker lessons for students.Video: TEDx - The students who hacked STEM educationIf you're interested in the Maker Movement and STEM, watch this TEDx talk! +Tom Heck speaks about a computer science class that worked with a group of special needs children in their community to create interactive experiences using Makey Makey and other materials.Cause: Commit your school or district to Maker EducationYou only have a day left to commit (sorry!), but consider having your school or district take part in the Maker Education movement. Submissions will be compiled and sent to President Obama during the Week of Making, June 12 - 18. If you can't make the deadline (May 29th), the website is still full of resources and information! You can join the community, sign up for the newsletter, or check out the Resource Library.Thanks for checking out this edition of #EdTechTidBits of the Week! See you next week!Do you have any #EdTechTidBits to share? Add them in the comments below or use the hashtag.

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Here is another great Google Docs Add-on that can be very useful for teachers and students. Link Chooser makes it very easy and convenient to create links to other Google Dive files without having to leave your document.Link Chooser was created by Tarek Al-Ubaidi, and it simplifies a very time consuming process. Let's say you're working on a project with a group and you're using a Google document, but their are other project files that you want to access as well. You could create links to those other Drive files within your document, but it require the lengthy process of jumping back to Drive, accessing the file, copying the share link, and then returning to your document to create the link. That's just too many steps! Well, Tarek has created an Add-on that significantly reduces those steps all while never having to leave your document!Watch: How to use the Link Chooser Add-onLink Chooser opens a box over your doc and allows you toaccess your Google Drive files.Link Chooser will take the name of the Drive file, turn it into a handy link, and insert it into your document.Classroom UsesTeacher's can use this for grade level meetings, committee meetings, faculty meetings, and curriculum planning. If there are multiple files that need to be accessed, create a single document that links to them all.Students that are working on individual or group projects and have to manage multiple files can also create a single document that links to them all for easy project management.

 1. Purpose Games   This is a free website that can be used to create mock exams, labelling activities and other quick quizzes. My Purpose Games account! Why is it so good?   This is great for independent learning as well as fun classroom activities. I have been using this for an anatomy unit and it has been great in helping the students learn, but also creating a "buzz" in the

If you checked your updates for your iPad or iPhone, you might have noticed an update for Google Drive was released today. The new Material Design has rearranged some of the features. Read on for screenshots and a break down.The most important part of this update is the Material Design change, which brings some major usability changes. The other Google apps (Docs, Sheets, and Slides) were already updated with Material Design, so Google Drive completes the set.See the screenshots below for a look at the new Material Design interface:Notice the red circle with the white "+" in the bottom right corner.Tapping the red circle allows you to create, upload from Camera Roll, or snap a photo or video with the camera.Choosing the "Upload" option gives you access to "Photos and Videos" and the iCloud Drive.The update also promises faster syncing and image viewing, and improved scrolling performance.What do you think of Material Design?

My role as an Advanced Practitioner involves a lot of feedback, namely to other staff. A large part of my job requires me to go through this process (Staff, students, the guy that puts too much milk in my tea). Listening to this verbal reflection; what are you thoughts on the feedback process? How would you like to receive feedback after an observation? Could/should digital media be used

EdTechTidBits from last week include a vetted repository of student projects by the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Khan Academy's search for new talent, a brand new Chrome extension by Google, and an update for Goobric.Resource: Center for Student WorkEarlier in May, a new online resource of amazing student projects, writing assignments, and teacher resources was released through a partnership between the Hardvard Graduate School of Education and Expeditionary Learning, a K-12 nonprofit. All submissions are carefully reviewed and the process is very selective, but you can submit your own student projects to be included. You can also join the Ning community and subscribe to the newsletter. You search for student projects by applying filters for grade level and subject.Filter search results by grade level and subjects.Apply: Khan Academy Talent SearchThe Kahn Academy is looking for fresh new talent and excellent explainers! The talent search runs until June 21st and they're really interested in gathering videos for AP, intro college students, and grades K-2 early learners. If you're not familiar with Kahn Academy, they are a not-for-profit organization and their mission is to provide a free, world class education to anyone, anywhere. If you have a passion for teaching and you see value in sharing your knowledge with others, then submit your videos today!Tool: Google Tone Chrome Extension Have you heard of the new Chrome extension, Google Tone, created by Google? This extension has great potential for classrooms, conference sessions, workshops, and other face-to-face professional development. It utilizes your computer's microphone to send and receive websites to other users.For example, if I need to share a website with my class I can click the Google Tone icon and it will broadcast a special audio tone from my computer. If my students have the Chrome browser open and Tone installed as well, their Tone extension will listen for my broadcast, and if it hears it, it will load the same webpage that I'm on. This can be a quick and easy way to get all of your students on the same page!Thanks to +Pete Hansen for the reshare!Updates: Goobric Gets Libraries If you're a user of the Doctopus add-on and the Goobric Chrome extension, you'll like this new addition. A new Libraries option has been added to Goobric. Now, when you're ready to attach a Goobric rubric to a class assignment, you have the option to access Libraries, which are special Google Drive folders that can contain content specific rubrics. You can share these special folders with your grade level or teaching team, so that you all have access to the same rubrics. The added value to this new feature is that there are also Published Libraries, which contain high-quality rubrics created by well known educational agencies. Read more about this new feature here. And here's an in depth document on how to use Doctopus, Goobric, and the new Libraries feature.Thanks for checking out this edition of #EdTechTidBits of the Week! See you next week! Do you have any #EdTechTidBits to share? Add them in the comments below or use the hashtag.

I stumbled upon this nifty trick while my fingers were stumbling over my keyboard the other day. Here's an efficient way to check your Google+ notifications on the web.Use the arrows keys to navigate through your notifications quickly!So here is how it works:Open your Google+ notifications window.Click on any notification in the list to get started.Use the LEFT and RIGHT arrows keys to navigate up or down in the list. (the up & down arrows affect the scrolling)When you're finished, click the back arrow and it will clear all of the notifications that you viewed.Voila! That was quick!Try it for yourself!

The B.Y.O.D (Bring Your Own Device) Tsunami struck a little while ago in the e-learning world. The subsequent tidal wave is only just reaching some of us on the front line. The days of using the interactive white board and hoping that this would achieve the I.L.T requirements of the lesson are gone. Students will not all have the latest tablets, smart phones or e-readers. Some will have the