Last week I shared ways to showcase teacher effectiveness via digital portfolios using a wiki and eduClipper.  This week I bring you another great tool to showcase teacher effectiveness courtesy of  elementary school teacher Rodney Schneider.  The tool is called Padlet.  Padlet is a free tool that gives you a blank wall on which to share files, videos, photos, videos, and more. You can choose the visibility and share with the world, a small group of people or just one or two others.  Rodney created one Padlet for each domain in the Charlotte Danielson framework. (You can download the full evaluation instrument here). Then he created a master Padlet onto which he embedded each of the Padlets allowing one spot to collect all the artifacts and evidence of his effectiveness as a teacher.This is what it looks like.I want more »

I was looking forward to checking out this post from my Twitter feed:Students Talk #Facebook on #Vimeo | @scoopit http://t.co/Ky5mAz9Iu2 #KSFY #SocialMedia #digcit #edchat #edbublogs— ICTPHMS (@ICTPHMS) February 19, 2014I'm thrilled that schools like the Patrick Henry Middle School are willing to put themselves out there and share in the mainstream media that Facebook isn't something to be afraid of, but rather we can teach students to use it safely.Maybe I'm just impatient, but aren't we ready to move past the conversation about the fact that Facebook won't kill you and travel toward this:I want more »

As the author of "Teaching Generation Text: Using Cell Phones for Learning," it’s no surprise, that I disagree with those who "just say no" to cell phones." I think my perspective comes out on top as it becomes evident that those who oppose the use of cell phones for learning have never really tried to strategically integrate them as powerful learning tools.  Listen to host Rae Pica and see what you think as this topic is discussed with with special guests that in addition to me include John Owens, David Thornburg, and Liz Kolb. If you like what you hear consider following your guests on Twitter. @JOwensTeacher @InnovativeEdu @jesslahey @davidthornburg @Liz Kolb @bodymindchild @bamradionetwork

Innovative educators know that as spring is about to be sprung upon us, so are the deadlines for most scholarships and financial aid. Check out this interesting infographic from FluidReview that gives you the skinny with facts and figures about various scholarships they've collected over the years as a result of offering one of the top scholarship management software platforms on the web today.Some interesting facts you'll find include distribution by race and sex, average amount awarded, and perhaps most important, some unusual scholarships that are out there such as tall people, coffee lovers, and skateboarders. Check it out. I want more »

When we think of innovative educators, we often think of classrooms and teachers, but we sometimes forget parents are employing innovative strategies to support learning outside of school.  For home educators this is just a way of life, but parents who choose school can also play a key role in helping their children learn. When they do, I am happy to know that The Innovative Educator was named a top five ed tech blog for homeschoolers by WizIQ who provides an online learning platform on which to deliver classes. Other blogs named were Free Technology for Teachers, Get Me Geeky, and The Wired Homeschool.  Check out the article and these other great blogs at http://blog.wiziq.com/top-5-ed-tech-blogs-help-integrate-technology-homeschool 

To engage or not to engage? That is the question when it comes to figuring out the best platform for strengthening the home-school connection with texting. Schools know that texting is a great way to reach out to families. It’s better than the "robo-calling" that is only one-way, is overwhelmingly reported as an annoyance to the Better Business Bureau, can disturb parents at work, or set off all the school staff phones ringing at the same time. They also know texting works well if you have a population that is less likely to have reliable, ongoing access to the internet. It’s also one of the best ways to get information right from your school and into the pockets of those who care about students.   But with so many choices out there, which is the best one to choose? Twitter and Remind 101 are two of the most popular free services available to text parents. But how do you know which one is best for you? I want more »

I was stoked this week when I learned Google Drive now has these cool add-ons which you can get to right from the menu bar.There are a number to choose from.I want more »

In his recent article, "14 things that are obsolete in 21st century schools," Ingvi Hrannar Ómarsson, gives innovative educators, students, and parents some food for thought in their own schools. When I read the article, I couldn't help but think that an excellent activity would be to turn the article into a quiz for school staff, students, and parents. After taking the quiz, they could compare results, see where they are, discuss what is working well, and also figure out some ways to update practice.The quiz is at the end of this post. Once you take it, share how you did in the below poll. Results from first poll: In the comments, please share any tips, ideas, suggestions for how you've successfully updated outdated practices in your school. Hopefully we'll learn some good ideas from one another.     

Me and my motherI was at a large conference in the fall when the presenter asked the audience of more than 1000 educators to say the first word that comes to mind when thinking of high school. As if rehearsed for church choir, the audience responded.Their answer? BORED!I was thinking, wow! We all know this truth yet seem to accept it as just the way things are. When I tell this to other educators, some push back sharing all sorts of positive memories they had of high school. Still that doesn't negate the fact that a room full of pedagogical strangers came up with one answer to describe their high school experience. This hit home for me. When I was just three years old, my mother was called into my pre-school because they were concerned that there was something seriously wrong with me. In fact among other things they thought I might be "retarded." The conclusion was made based on warning signs they observed such as my not paying attention in class.  Fortunately, my mother got a second opinion and found the cause behind my lack of focus wasn't a mental condition, but in short, it was simply that I was bored. You can hear the story from my mother here: I want more »

You may have come across Cris Rowan's popular HuffPost piece explaining 10 reasons handheld devices should be banned for children under 12. You may also haveread the rebuttal from a librarian mom who explains why she will continue to give her children handheld devices. While the pro-device author explains the benefits of handhelds, what she doesn't uncover is that the research cited by the original author doesn't support her claims. In fact, the research cited in the Rowan piece is so unsupportive of her claims, it seems possible that the real motive behind the article was to test the reader's gullibility. If readers had dug a little deeper, they'd find the truth.The research focuses mainly on passive television consumption and video games that are either simple or for mature audiences. Much of it also is focused, not on pre-teens, but rather on teens and adults. The research shows a dearth of findings around the type of technology use in which the overwhelming majority of children engage.I want more »

This week a relative of mine, who is a senior citizen, friend-requested me on Facebook. Not only do I love to see more and more seniors connecting online, I also love that this provides further opportunity for generations to share their lives. Especially these days when families tend to have busy lives and be spread out. The relative was a cousin who I don’t see much beyond big family gatherings like weddings and funerals. The next day she messaged me. Nice! She was catching on quickly. We had the usual pleasantries. She asked how the family was in Vegas and said she had been there recently but unfortunately hadn't had time to visit. I gave her the update on my Dad's birthday party and also shared that things at work and home were very well and shared a couple pictures of my pups. I was impressed at how she jumped right in. Bravo! Then she said she had been trying to reach me about something.I want more »

Guest post by Connor WoodI had never heard of a Personal Learning Network (PLN) before Lisa Nielsen asked me to write about mine. I did not originally set out to make a PLN. It just sort of happened as I started asking around for interviews for my education blog, Trismegistus Nab-tu-we. I also contacted author  Henry Olsen and entrepreneur William Peregoy. They were both helpful in giving me the tools and ideas I needed to start my blog and autodidactism. There are a couple of other student groups I have turned to for advice including Students for Education Reform and The Providence Student Union. I have a little secret. Aside from my blog, the only social networking site I belong to is Google+ which is only because of my blog. I use Google+ for major posts, but not much besides that. I guess I am kind of old school in using my email for most of my networking. When I started going around looking for people to interview, I used only email. This allowed me to connect to progressive educators and reform activists like John Robinson, James Bach, Lisa Nielsen, and Jerry Mintz, all of whom have been extremely helpful in networking ideas and suggestions. Jerry and Lisa, for example, both recommended I get in touch with Nikhil Goyal. Additional help in getting my voice heard has come from Diane Ravitch and Mercedes Schneider. Lisa too has helped me a lot. Allowing me to contribute this guest post is an example of that.I want more »

Join me for a BYOD Google Hangout on Monday, April 7th at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time. TopicManaging the BYOD classroomGuests will discuss the followingGetting started with byod management.Preventing distraction. Fostering trust in students who are using their own devices.The role of students in classroom management.Explaining this will work to administrators.Getting parents to support responsible use.  Our special guests includeJill Hobson @hobsonjillMichelle Luhtala @mluhtala Jason Suter @JKsuter Connect with them on Twitter!BackchannelJoin our backchannel conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #BYODEquity. See all the backchannel hashtags on our Tagboard at http://tagboard.com/byodmanagementJoin the hangout at this linkhttps://plus.google.com/events/cnb6l98874hjdvh0ec92r289ktk 

Carly Fleischmann hadn't communicated with many people before she started using social media. That is because Carly doesn't speak. Today however, social media has opened the door to give this very social young lady access to connecting with tens of thousands of people around the world. In the video below, Carly shares, "The moment when I typed on social media for the first time a sense of belonging and a feeling of being heard came over me. I was surprised how I was now a part of society in a social way. It has brought me out of my shell and allowed me to help people learn about autism straight from the horse's mouth."Social media is an amazing tool to give us a voice, allow us to share our stories, and connect to others.  How are using using social media to open up doors to the students with whom you work?________________________________________Get social!-->Follow Carly on Twitter at https://twitter.com/CarlysVoice -->Like her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/carlysvoice Consider this...How can you use Carly's social media presence as a model for the students with whom you work?

Listen as bring your own device (BYOD) experts discuss best practices for classroom management.  Special guests Jill Hobson @hobsonjill, Michelle Luhtala @mluhtala, and Jason Suter @JKsuter all currently work in BYOD environments and share insights about the following topics:Getting started with byod management.Preventing distraction. Fostering trust in students who are using their own devices.The role of students in classroom management.Explaining this will work to administrators.Getting parents to support responsible use.  Watch the video below then check out the collection of Tweets on Storify filled with insights and resources. I want more »

It’s not uncommon for today’s children, brought up in a fast-paced, digital world, to become bored and uninterested when visiting cultural institutions. It doesn’t have to be that way though. Sometimes the first step to enjoying art is to look forward to a museum visit as something that is fun. Social media can provide a great way to engage young people during a trip to museum, landmark, or other cultural institution. At the same time, it might just connect them to a new community of others who share a love of arts and culture that they didn’t know they had.Here are some fun and innovative ideas for teachers and parents to try on their next field trip. I want more »

"The only difference between smartphones and laptops is that cell phones are smaller, cheaper, and more coveted by students" (Richtel & Stone, 2009). Students, parents, teachers, principals, and elected officials know it is time to lift restrictions and embrace these tools for learning. Below is their wisdom and the research to support it.StudentsIn general, 95% of teens use the internet and 74% are "mobile internet users" (Pew, 2013).  With or without us, students are using cell phones for learning despite the perception by some parents and teachers that cell phones are distracting to kids. A national study shows that 1 in 3 middle schoolers are using their devices to complete homework and learn better (Tru, 2012). "... with cell phones tucked in the book bags and pockets of three-fourths of today's teens, many high schools are ceding defeat in the battle to keep hand-held technology out of class and instead are inviting students to use their phones for learning" (Malone & Black, 2010). Nationally, just over half (52%) of teachers of upper and upper-middle income students say their students use cell phones to look up information in class, compared with 35% of teachers of the lowest income students (Pew Research Center, 2013).  More than half of the world’s population now owns a cell phone, and children under 12 constitute one of the fastest growing segments of mobile technology users in the U.S. according to the The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop (Shuler, 2009).  I want more »

Do you have students who love inventing, experimenting, and computing? Then check out my article on Answers.com which features quality, free or inexpensive places you can turn to help your students discover, explore, and develop his or her inner inventor. Visit "Help your child get inventive with these resources" to find out about more about resources like Super Awesome Sylvia, Tynker, and Makey Makey.  

Google Summit attendees in Vermont.Whether it’s Docs, Earth, Glass, Translate, Voice, Hangouts, Blogger, Chromebooks, and more, Google provides some of my favorite tools for education.  If you feel the same way or are just intrigued, you may be interested in a Google for Education Summit.  Here’s why.  1. Try out shiny new tools like Google Glass, Chromebooks, and Android devices Do you want to experience the world through Google Glass? Did you know Chromebooks are instant on? Summits have a dedicated classroom where you can drop in any time to demo Google products and learn more about using Android tablets in Education. 2. Become a speaker and raise your profile in EdTech circlesPresenting a session during summits is a fantastic way to highlight your expertise and raise your profile in the Google for Education arena. Many educators who have attended past summits have grown their practice and experience and are coming back as speakers.I want more »

Cross-posted at Smartblog on EducationMany educators are aware of education Twitter chats and some have even participated in one of the hundreds of chats that take place each week. The reason Twitter chats are great is because they let you dive quickly into an issue with others around the world who share your passion. The people whose input you find valuable are ones that you can follow and connect with in the future. For those who don’t know what a Twitter chat is, it is a way to bring together people from across the globe — tweeps — at a set time to discuss a topic of interest in a fast-paced format using an agreed upon hashtag. It can also give tweeps access to experts they otherwise might not be able to connect with. It gives experts a great vehicle to connect with others who care about their work.I want more »

I had the opportunity to speak with a few hundred librarians today to discuss how we can get to the uncommon core of our work using social media.  You can see the presentation below and visit it at this link. It is made available for others to view and copy if there is something you want to share with others. Highlights include:What is social media (from a dog's point of view)?Why we need social media to prepare students for college, career, and citizenship success?How does social media help us meet the common core standards?The new rules of social media. I want more »

Mozilla, the non-profit that created Firefox, has created tools and resources to educate and empower people to understand the architecture, culture and citizenship of the web. The effort stems from a framework of skills and competencies-known as the web literacy map that addresses everything from basic web navigation and writing code to understanding the consequences of sharing data online and collaborating with others. You can see the map below.Visit the map at https://wiki.mozilla.org/Learning/WebLiteracyStandard I want more »

If you are interested in discussing how to prepare preservice teachers for the realities of today's digital classroom, then I hope you’ll join me at 9 p.m. EST tonight for  #TeacherEdChat. The topic is "Social Media in Teacher Education Programs." Here's a description of #TeacherEdChat:The focus of #TeacherEdChat is on teacher preparation and connecting higher ed with Prek-12. The intent of #TeacherEdChat is building bridges with PK-12 to help align those enrolled in teacher education courses, undergraduate and graduate, with teachers and educators in the field. The chat provides a forum to help higher ed faculty and educators gain additional insights into the teaching field as well as help those in the teaching field get a better sense of what Schools of Education are doing. Check out tonight's questions and start collecting your ideas and best links to support what you have to share: I want more »

Onalytica put out their list of bring your own device influencers (BYOD) and The Innovative Educator was at the top of the list. You can see the top ten influencers below and the top 100 here. RankTwitter HandleNamePageRank (Normalised)1@MaribelLopezMaribel Lopez1002@MindShiftKQEDTina Barseghian75.253@coolcatteacherVicki Davis74.974@NMHS_PrincipalEric Sheninger60.835@mssacksteinStarr Sackstein43.176@InnovativeEduLisa Nielsen35.917@RossCoops31Ross Cooper28.068@mluhtalaMichelle Luhtala22.639@andycinekAndrew P. Marcinek21.9610@jksuterJason K. Suter21.93I want more »