We are winding down the school year, and I know most of you will use your summer time not only to relax, but you also constantly reflect on the school year, and research new ways to teach, and new tools to use in your classroom next year. The whole idea is not to focus a ton of energy on a bunch of different tools to overwhelm yourself, after all its summertime!!!! So how about just learning one tool at a time?I have a few ideas of some great tools you can explore this summer, and hopefully you can find some fantastic ways to use them. First...Have you thought about blogging? Blogging is a great way to share information with parents and other educators the wonderful things you are doing in your classroom. Using Blogger as a tool is a great way to do this. If you are reading this post, you are reading it on Blogger. Blogger is simple to use and is already embedded in Google, which make it very easy to access. A lot of educators blog to share great ideas with others, and it would behoove you to follow their blogs. Some great blog sites to get you started are: blogger, edublogs, and wordpress.EdTech Magazine created a list of Must Read Educators Blogs. Check out their list                                              (fyi- I am featured as one of the top 5 :) )Are you on twitter?  Twitter is one the easiest and common ways to develop a strong PLN. In order for it to be valuable, you also need to be a contributor. You have awesome things to share with others. Following people who share the same role you do in education, or what you aspire to be, is key to staying connected, and current with tech trends. When corporations want to get the word out on their new products, they usually take to twitter and other social media first. Twitter allows you to create your own learning opportunities, anywhere, and anytime. The connections you make through social media lead you to a wealth of knowledge that is not made possible without it.Twitter is a grand place to gather ideas and information from educators all around the world. Connect with like minds, experts, and others who have an interest in education. Check out my blog post about why you should be using twitter, and be sure to follow me @msedtechieStill looking for ideas of tried and true ways other educators are using technology in the classroom? Try searching on Pinterest. There are so many edtech pinterest boards, where people post apps and blogs to try out, as well as ideas for using and iPads, and other technologies. If you are a visual person, pinterest is perfect for you. Pinterest is a sure way to find some great ideas for the classroom, and connect with awesome educators around the world.Teachers Pay Teachers-If only I would have thought of this! Teachers are taking what they have created for their classroom and sharing it with others. Some items for free, some are at a low -cost. Let's just face it, a lot of us don't have the time to spend hours developing lessons and projects for our students, due to various reasons, but having access to thousands of projects and lessons at your finger tips delivers a powerful one-two punch. Save time by browsing through resources other teachers have perfected, and use them to provide meaningful learning experiences for your students.Participate in webinars, online classes, or tech forums. There are so many free webinars available to educators or various topics, covering various tools. Join organizations like TCEA, or Simple K-12, or ACDS. Most webinars are archived, so even if you are not able to catch the live one, you can go back and listen to the recording. The cool thing about that is you can stop, rewind, and pause when you need to, and take notes easily.A great way to engage students is through video. Have you ever thought about flipping your classroom? Or maybe just capturing the wonderful work you are doing with students and sharing it with the world? These video tools are awesome, try one or two, or three of these!PowToonVideolicious30 Hands AppAnimotoScreenCasting w/ QuicktimeKeynoteiMovie TrailerCheck out this thinglink of other powerful webtools you should try this summer!Well as we bring this school year to a close, I am sure you will use this summer to relax, but also reflect. As educators, you must constantly be looking and searching for new and innovative ways to share information with students. Hope you take some of my suggestions for making sure you are refreshed and rejuvenated for the fall, and also ready to take on new challenges, and opportunities to enhance learning in your classroom.Don't let the whole summer go by without you enhancing your life by exploring fantastic ways to improve the quality of your instructional practices, and filling up your learning toolbox!

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Connecting around the world!It's time to change the way we teach!Using Mystery Skype, Twitter, and Google Hangouts are great ways this can be done!  We need to allow our students to really collaborate. Not only with each other, but with others outside of your classroom walls.Skype in The Classroom anyone??Skype can be used in the classroom to support your curriculum, such as participating in a Mystery Skypes, Author visits via Skype Experts, or Skype with another classroom to share projects or become pen pals. http://www.katemessner.com/authors-who-skype-with-classes-book-clubs-for-free/There are over 70,000 educators around the world who use Skype in their classrooms everyday!http://www.edudemic.com/10-ways-to-start-using-skype-in-the-classroom/NASA has a Digital Learning Network that you can sign up your classes to Skype with an astronaut or a member NASA They have a variety of topics from Food in Space to Robotics to Life on Mars. It's a great way to have your students connect with experts. There is a lesson on Solar Neighborhood.http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/national/dln/index.html#.UzXTSK1dUh4Have you ever participated in a Mystery Skype? OMGEEE... What are you waiting for? Mystery Skype has become a world-wide movement. Focusing on Geography, Map and Critical Thinking Skills, your students can connect with other students around the world. Check out my post about Why I love Twitter & Mystery Skype Our 4th graders had so much fun during their Mystery Skype. They created an iMovie trailer to highlight their experience.Mystery skype engages students!!Connecting Students Around the WorldYou can find this one, and other great ideas, and resources of experts to skype with on the skype classroom website. Also, if you have an idea, you can add a lesson on the website and share with others to participate in.  However, I am also very impressed with Google Hangout Field Trips. There are a lot of organizations that provide virtual field trips for all grade levels, most recently I came across the Google Doodle virtual field trip where they shared with students how they create the cartoons for the Google homepage, and allowed them to tour the Google headquarters.  Meet the team of illustrators and engineers who design the Google homepage logosFrom Sketches to the Google HomepageFrom Sketches to the Google Homepage: Virtual Field TripRecording Now Available at www.DiscoveryEducation.com/Doodle4GoogleThis site comes with lesson plans, and activities for studentsHow about taking a virtual field trip via Google Hangout?Twitter is a great way to connect with educators, and experts from around the world.I know of a 3rd grader who was assigned to complete a research report about Hawaii. Instead of relying just on books in the library, or a Google search, this students' parents took to twitter and put a request out to find a family who was currently living there, and would be willing to skype with their son, so they could ask questions about where they lived. This experience was much greater for the student, and their report turned out 100x better!

TCEA has listed these Amazing Science InteractivesIf there's any subject area that can benefit from powerful Web 2.0 tools and interactives, it's science. These hands-on resources can help your students better understand a complex topic or extend their learning. If the Moon Were Only 1 Pixel shows students the true size of our solar system. Scrolling (forever) gives us a taste of the vastness of space in this accurate portrait. The Compound Machine from EdHeads teaches how forces and simple machines can work together. Learn the parts of animal, plant, and bacterial cells with Cell Games (for middle school students).  The BBC offers several different interactives on the human body at this website for high school students. Are you really in danger when you are taking those hairpin turns and death-defying loops on a roller coaster? Discover howamusement park rides use the laws of physics to simulate danger, while keeping the rides safe.  In this interactive, trace the effects of the best-understood mass seeding of all, that of oak-tree acorns.  Learn about hearing in this series of interactives called How Your Brain Understands What Your Ears Hear. Build your own interactive models of almost anything with theMolecular Workbench. These interactive simulations for high school students can be downloaded for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Wonderville is a fun, interactive destination for elementary kids to discover the exciting world of science.  Additional science interactives can be found at here and here.

Our newest TL Advisor, Patricia Brown, also won Honorable Mention in TL's Leader of the Year program #edchat... http://t.co/kPzefljrWw— techlearning (@techlearning) May 28, 2014

Let's face it! The beginning of the school year is a very exciting time, and it is probably the most busiest time. Finding practical, and simple ways to get things done is essential for a busy educator like yourself. Here are a few simple and amazing tools you should try in your classroom this year. I guarantee that it will engage your students, help you get organized, and also save you some time!Google ClassroomClassroom is available to anyone with Google Apps for Education, a free suite of productivity tools including Gmail, Drive and Docs.Classroom is designed to help teachers create and collect assignments paperlessly, including time-saving features like the ability to automatically make a copy of a Google Document for each student. It also creates Drive folders for each assignment and for each student to help keep everyone organized.Students can keep track of what’s due on the Assignments page and begin working with just a click. Teachers can quickly see who has or hasn't completed the work, and provide direct, real-time feedback and grades right in Classroom.Graphite Common Sense Media welcomes you to Graphite, a platform created to make it easier for educators to find the best apps, games, and websites for the classroom.Class Dojo - An oldie but goodie! I think this one will always make my list.ClassDojo Features: Positive behavior management made simple by providing instant recognition in classClassDojo enables you to easily award and record points, achievements and rewards for behavior and performance in class in real-time, with just one click of your smartphone or laptop. Social and emotional learning finally gets brought to life!Check out the website, and view the Demo. http://www.classdojo.com/tour  (the app is free to download too)This would be a great tool to begin using this year, or maybe you want to try it out for few weeks of school on a trial basis. Either way, its worth checking out!KahootA game-based classroom response system. This website allows you to assess students learning in a fun and engaging way. It is very simple to use. What sets this response system apart is, that students are in competition to see not only who gets the answer right, but who answers first. At the completion of each question, it ranks the participants in order of who clicked the answer the fastest. You can add images, videos, or text as questions. Students can use computers, laptops, and mobile devices such as tablets, and cell phones.To create a game click here https://getkahoot.com/To play a game click here https://kahoot.it/#/No need to register students. They sign in to the game page with the Game pin you provide. It takes minutes to setup!Remind / Remind 101 is not just REMINDRemind (formerly remind 101) is a safe, free way for teachers to text messages students and keep in touch with parents. Let parents know important information is coming home, or important events. Pre-schedule texts to go out. Create multiple groups, and your phone number is never given out.BlubbrPlay and create video trivia gamesWhat a fun and engaging way to assess students knowledge. Using video clips you create, or find online you can find out what students know about specific subjects.This one makes my list again!EdmodoCreate a unique learning experience for your students through Edmodo. Edmodo helps connect all learners with the people and resources needed to reach their full potential.  There are great PLN's already in place. Edmodo provides Back to School Webinars to help get you started. There interactive webinars are hosted by Edmodo Techxperts and cover everything from getting started to using Edmodo in schools and districts, and more. Browse teh webinars page, and tune into the one that works best for you!Bringit- Simple Online Sign up SheetsA free way to organize people and events. Organize parent teacher conferences, or special school events. Customize a blank sign up sheet template. Share with anyone, no log-in needed. Participants will receive an email reminder, and you can print out your sign up sheets.Tired of those same Powerpoint or Keynote templates?  No more Death by PowerPoint.Try Emaze, an online presentation software. Emaze is the next generation of online presentations, empowering you to create an amazing impression through design and technology. This one still makes my list!Social Bookmarking at its finest. What a great way to organize web resources. What I love about Symbaloo is that the websites are images, not just word links. This is especially cool for young students who can't read the words, but would recognize a symbol or picture. Overall it's just much cooler! Create and share webmixes with anyone.Keepvid.comIs Youtube blocked in your district? No worries, use keepvid.com and download and keep any video on Youtube.Today's Meet.com While showing a movie have students comment or ask questions During debate or class discussion have students make comments or ask questionsAnother one that still makes my list!Share videos, photos, documents easily. Connect a DropBox account to your iPad and have images, and video automatically synced between devices. Utilize the website, ios APP, or Desktop APP to manage files where-ever you are.Don't forget these too...

Creating an online virtual experience for your students is easy with these great tools...Google Maps with Street View lets you explore places around the world through 360-degree street-level imagery. You can explore world landmarks, view natural wonders, navigate a trip, go inside restaurants and small businesses - and now even visit the Amazon! Get a demo or browse the gallery to see collections from around the world. Additionally, you can virtually visit 17 Museums in Street View and see incredible art around the world.7 Wonders Panoramas - 360-degree views of the Seven Wonders of the World.Arounder Virtual Tour of the Moon - 360-degree panoramic views of the moon, courtesy of the Apollo 11, 12 and 17 missions. (Many other Earth locations also available on arounder.com.)Connected Classrooms Map - This map shows all of the teachers and partners in connected classrooms including museums, classrooms, aquariums, magazines, etc. It's a great resource if you're starting to get connected.Frissiras Museum - A virtual art gallery from Athens, Greece that allows you to explore paintings by rolling your mouse over them.Google Earth - Explore the geography of both land and sea (free download).Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Vital Signs: Understanding Cardiovascular Diseases - A virtual gallery teaching about heart disease.Louvre Virtual Tour - Virtual tour of the world-famous Louvre museum in Paris.Mount St. Helens 360 - See how the volcano Mount St. Helens changed in the three-year span between 2003 and 2006 with these 360-degree panoramas.Mount Vernon Virtual Mansion Tour - Virtual tour of George Washington’s home, Mount Vernon.The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago - Enjoy 360-degree views of galleries showcasing Egyptian, Assyrian, Mesopotamian and Persian culturesRare Book Room - A virtual library that allows you to not only view but read hundreds of rare and historical copies of books, from Shakespeare to Galileo.Smithsonian National Museum of National History Virtual Tour - Take a virtual walking tour of the entire Smithsonian National Museum of National History.Smithsonian National Museum of National History Dinosaur Tour - A virtual tour of dinosaur fossils.Smithsonian National Museum of National History Dinosaur Dig - An interactive virtual archaeological dig for dinosaur bones.Supreme Court Tour - A 360-degree exploration of the U.S. Supreme Court building.Taj Mahal Virtual Tour - Virtual tour of the Taj Mahal, featuring 360-degree panoramas.Tour of Colonial Williamsburg - A virtual tour of Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia.UAE Interact Virtual Museum - A virtual museum exploring the history of the United Arab Emirates through ancient artifacts like stoneware, jewelry, weapons, tools and coins.US Capitol Virtual Tour - Virtual tour of the US Capitol, with clickable areas to learn more about the building’s history.A Virtual Journey into the Universe - Explore our solar system with a variety of interactive tools (no jokes about what lies in the interior of Uranus).Virtual Museum of Iraq - Discover the history of Iraq through eight museum halls full of artifacts.The Virtual Museum of Traditional Japanese Arts - Wander down virtual hallways to explore traditional Japanese arts, from fine arts to martial arts.Virtual Tour of Rio de Janeiro - An amazing 3-D aerial virtual tour of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.Visible Body - Detailed, dynamic 3-D views of all the systems in the human body (7-day free trial).Virtual Worlds Almanac - A guide to online "virtual worlds," most with educational value.Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society Life-Size Blue Whale - Feel what it’s like to swim alongside a blue whale.Source: http://aceonlineschools.com/25-awesome-virtual-learning-experiences-online/

A Teacher's Guide to Keeping Up With Their Tech Savvy Students https://t.co/ajyNhRSBvv #edtech via @EdSurge— Patricia J. Brown (@msEdtechie) August 29, 2014

Just so you know, this season of my life is very busy.  As a mother of 5 boys, I am always looking for engaging and cool ways for my own kids to learn. I decided to dedicate this blog post to sharing some of those great resources I use at home. I have a KG, and two, yes I said 2, 2nd graders. (they are twins), an 8th grader, and.... wait for it.... A Newborn. (yup, I'm crazy) lol  here are some great tools my Kg & 2nd graders use at home.Looking for a great technology resources for Pre-K through Kindergarten?You have probably seen the commercials before for abcmouse.comABCMOUSE program is free now to schools. They have great learning activities for students they can complete in the computer lab, or in the classroom on the iPads. This is a  much better comprehensive curriculum program then websites like starfall. Its also great for center activity, or after school program.There are three ways for students to navigate through the program.Lesson Builder: Allows you to build lessons for whole class, learning groups, or individual students.Sequence Learning: Students travel step by step learning and follow the created learning path that covers all major subject areas. Each level builds upon the last. You can select the level each student starts.Independent Learning- Students are free to explore site on their own. They can select by subject or activity typeStudents can earn tickets through the reward system, it motivates students to complete learning activities, while teaching math concepts.Setup a free account for your classroom, and track students learning.https://www.abcmouse.com/schoolsOnline Digital BookA great tool that you can access free through various public library sites. The stories are animated and read out loud to children. Thousands of books to choose from.TumbleBooksEvery activity has been designed to teach a critical skill or strategy while providing the repetition and practice required for mastery. Most importantly, each stays true to the ideal that teaching and learning should be clever and fun. None of our games use non-math activities to incent students to play. The hook of every game is the math itself and students spend every second doing math. It is all math, all the time.http://gregtangmath.com/kakoomaMore Great Math ResourcesCounting and Cardinality :Think Math , AAA Math , Mr. Nussbaum , Fun School ,Sea Horse Counting , EduplaceOperations & Algebraic Thinking :Think Math , Mr. Nussbaum , PBS kids, Eduplace, Math Pickle Numbers & Operations in Base Ten:Think Math , AAA Math , Eduplace, Virtual Manipulatives   Measurement & Data:Think Math , Cool Math , Eduplace , Virtual ManipulativesGeometry :Think Math , Cool Math, Shapes,  EduplaceMATH DUEL APPMy kids love a good competition.  This app allows two players at a time to challenge each other two math problems. The person who gets the answer first in the time period wins. Great way to learn addition and subtraction facts.Check out this symbaloo for Grades K-2 This is a perfect compilation of Interactive Sites for all grade levels, and content areas. There are some great resources specifically designed for K-2 students.Ideas for active learning Rather your kids need time to play, learn, or explore. Hopefully, the tools I listed above will make learning more fun!

The Keys to Tech Savvy Teaching!As we begin this new school year, we need to evaluate our past teaching experiences,  and how effective they were. Start by taking a moment to reflect. Think about last year. On a scale from 1 to 5 (1 not well, and 5 being very well) How well did you integrate technology in your classroom? The key word is INTEGRATE. Notice I didn't say how well did you USE technology in your classroom. There is definitely a difference between using and integrating.  Here are just a couple of the main differences. Using technology-- usage tends to be random, arbitrary, and sometimes an afterthought.  True technology integration is seamless, it shouldn't be viewed as an add-on, an afterthought, or an event." P.BrownWhen technology is integrated, it is planned and purposeful, it is a routine part of the classroom environment. Questions to ask yourself: What tool did I use the most? What worked well? What didn't work? What are some things you would like to try this year? (Check out this chart below)So are you a tech-savvy teacher? Complete this quiz by Edutopia to find out http://www.edutopia.org/quiz-tech-savvy-teachingand see how you rankWhen exploring new technologies, you may be looking for ways to measure how effective the integration of the technology is. One way to determine ways to evolve your instructional practice is through the SAMR model.The SAMR model stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and RedefinitionThe SAMR model eliminates teachers using tech just because, it allows you to evaluate why you are using the specific technology, design tasks that enable higher order thinking skills, it engages students in rich learning experiences which should ultimately impact student achievement.Watch the video below to learn more about the SAMR modelRead more about SAMR hereSAMR IN ACTIONWhat instructional objective do your students struggle with learning? How can using the SAMR model allow your students to meet the higher levels of thinking?Use the SAMR model to create a lesson that meets Transformation level of learning (Modification & Redefinition) Download this template to help get you started. Other routes to Tech Savvy Teaching....Subscribe to newsletters and online magazines like Edutopia, Edsurge, or Techlearning, or Edtech to have fresh technology integration ideas at your fingertips each week. Create a Dropbox account for your classroom. Link it to iPads, or laptops in your classroom to share documents, student work, or to create a classroom album.Create a classroom Symbaloo page of webmixes to bookmark resources for your students or even yourself.Create a video avatar using Tellagami, or Voki to introduce topics for your kids, or as a way to introduce the classroom rules.Think of ways to breakdown classroom walls and collaboratethrough resources such as twitter in the classroom, Google Hangouts & Mystery SkypeGoogle Apps for Education- collaboration in the classroom & with instructorBack Channels  like Today’s Meet EdmodoCheck out these social networking sites to help build your PLN (Personal Learning Network)Focus on blended learning to create personalized learning experiences through your professional Learning NetworkSocial Networking SitesGoodreadsEvernotePinterestTwitterFacebookFacebook BookLove Book TalkFacebook Centurions Book GroupDiigoShelfariVoicethreadBiblionasium

Don't make your audience victims of death by PowerPoint any longer. Take a look at these highly effective and recommended alternatives to using Powerpoint for creating presentations. Ready to try something different?In no particular order, here they go....1) EmazeTired of those same  old Powerpoint and Keynote templates? Try Emaze, an online presentation software. Emaze is the next generation of online presentations, empowering you to create an amazing impression through design and technology.2) Videolicious- This FREE tool is very user friendly  and  great for taking pictures to tell stories.  This is available in the APP for version as well as a website.3) Google Presentations- This FREE tools is simple to use to make quality presentations that can be shared out with the whole class. Google's  interactive features allow you to collaborate, as well as add graphics, pictures, colors, fonts.. the list goes on. Create a presentation, or have students create the together.4) Educreations- This FREE app and website, allows you to make cool presentations using an interactive whiteboard format on the app. You can use text (keyboard) to type, or write directly on the whiteboard with their finger or a stylus using various forms of ink (crayon, pencil, marker, etc..) They can insert photos, and draw images directly on the app. You can record yourself talking on the app. This is great for teaching a lesson in the flip classroom format. Use it to teach a unit, and share it to the Educreations community site.  5) Voicethread This FREE app and website is great for creating digital stories, or interactive presentations. Have a class discussion by commenting, or writing directly on the slides. Create a presentation using video, photos, or text.6) Present.me Record a lesson on Present.me, students can watch in their own time, over and over again if they need - leaving you extra time in class for more interactive work.  View your image on one side of the viewer, and display your slide presentation on the other side.7) Tellagami a mobile app that lets you create and share a quick presentations. Create easy tutorials, or animated anticipatory sets to introduce a unit or lesson animated Gami video. 8) PowToon  A FREE tool with super cool graphics. Create animated presentations and videos as easy as PowerPoint, but way cooler!Flip your classroom, inspire, engage and delight your students9) Slideshare - Share what you know and love through presentations, infographics, documents, and more. No more worries about your presentation being to large to share via email. 10) PhotoPeach -With PhotoPeach you can create a rich slideshow in seconds to engage your friends or family. We also support background music, captions, and comments so you can elaborate on your story further.

We have certainly come a long way from using traditional cameras in the classroom. We no longer have to wait for photos to be developed, or even to sync a camera with a computer. We now have instant ways to share photos easily! Capturing special moments in the classroom is ideal for any classroom at any grade level. Rather you are using a digital camera, iPad, or smartphone, you can instantly open up your classroom walls to the world. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.Here are a few simple ways you and your students can use Digital Photos in the classroom.Meet the Teacher Night Selfies- Get to know your new students and their families right away. Setup a photo booth in your classroom on Open House, or Meet The Teacher Night. This is a fun way to get families involved. Post them in your classroom, or on your website or blog.  Check out 3rd grade teacher Ms. Wolgamot's page.Student Portfolios with Thinglink   Take class photos, or individual or group selfies, and link them to projects students create throughout the year.If you touch the image, it links you to each students' project. What a cool way to share special student projects at the end of the school year.Personalized Portfolio Webmixes You can do the same thing with Symbaloo for individual students. Create a year-long digital portfolio using this tool to share with parents throughout the year.Check out the tutorial herePicture Collages -  Create individual pic collages while students learn their 5 senses, or maybe to visualize a writing project, or to share images from a  field trip. This one was created using the app PicCollage Another great way to make cool things with images is http://bighugelabs.com/Do fun stuff with your digital photos. Create and print personalized motivational posters, calendars, movie posters, magazine covers, badges, mosaics, collages, etc.Other ways to use Digital Photos in the ClassroomMaking History Come Alive-  Have students dress as a famous person in history. Have students take pictures of each other in costume. Use them in historic journals, diaries, or posters they create.  Instead of celebrating Halloween, a school in California celebrates Historical Figure Day  School or Classroom Expectations Have students take photos showing proper ways to handle equipment in the classroom, and/or classroom rules and procedures. Photo Lab Report  Instead of the usual write-up reports, kids can create a photo- lab report  (demonstrate through photography) the process in their science experiments. Keep track of what's happening in long term experiments or investigations. Plant growth, lifecycle of a chicken, bird feeding station observations. At the end create cool slideshows using an app like a AnimotoEngaging Field Trips Allow students to take iPads, or cell phones on field trips to take photos. Take it step further and use audio boo to add audio to their images. Or use twitter to share their learning experience. Document field trips and class activities simply.Creative Writing  Have students take a picture, and have other students write about what they see.Take Mystery Photos that show parts of something, and other students in the class have to try and figure out what it is. They could also write about it.Social Values, and Manners - Role play problem situations through photographs and captions. Capture facial expressions, and create posters or slide shows. How To's- Help students organize their writings through photos. Put together the photos to tell a story, or "how to" do something.There is no limit to the types of projects your students can do with digital photos. Photos are a perfect way to engage students. After all, Who doesn't love a good selfie?

My kids absolutely love super heroes. Well, what boys don’t? Even though I can't physically fly, jump through buildings, or stretch myself to the back of my car while driving, I still like to consider myself a superhero when it comes to using technology. Becoming a tech super hero didn't happen to me overnight. It took some specific planning, and dedication to improving my craft. Focusing on one tool or a few tools at a time is key to making sure you don't find yourself knee deep in tech craziness and overwhelmed, but in fact, you find yourself ahead of the game, and you want more, and you can handle it! Are you ready for the challenge?One of the simple ways to begin to unleash your tech superpowers is to build a strong PLN, your Personal Learning Network.  A personal learning network is people/places you go to gain knowledge, share knowledge, and collaborate with others of like minds and interests. Let's face it, as awesome and fabulous as we all are, we can always learn something from each other. Why re-invent the wheel? If you find someone who has great ideas that they are sharing through their blog, why not try them out? Well some of you might say, "they make it look so easy, there is no way I can do that with my kids!" Let me let you in on a little secret; most of us had no clue what we were doing when we first started. We practiced trial and error until it worked. Some lessons turned out fantastic, others were a flop, and that’s okay. We took a look at those lessons, figured out why they flopped, then tweaked them, so when we did it again, it turned out better. The most important thing is you can't be afraid to try. Pretty soon, you will feel comfortable with what you are doing in your classroom, and you want to blog yourself. You are doing fantastic things in your classroom everyday; why not document them through a blog.Twitter is one the easiest and common ways to develop a strong PLN. In order for it to be valuable, you also need to be a contributor. You have awesome things to share with others. Following people who share the same role you do in education, or what you aspire to be, is key to staying connected, and current with tech trends. When corporations want to get the word out on their new products, they usually take to twitter and other social media first. Twitter allows you to create your own learning opportunities, anywhere, and anytime. The connections you make through social media lead you to a wealth of knowledge that is not made possible without it.Other simple things to try this year, Remind(formerly Remind 101)- This tool allows you to send text messages to parents and students without providing them with your phone number. Send scheduled test reminders, open house, or homework reminders automatically. Bringit- Have parents schedule their parent teacher conferences digitally, and send automatic reminders as the time gets near. Class Dojo- A behavior management tool for the classroom, that has a reward system built into the app and website that motivates students; it also has features to share data with parents.Still looking for ideas of tried and true ways other educators are using technology in the classroom? Try searching on Pinterest. There are so many edtech pinterest boards, where people post apps and blogs to try out, as well as ideas for using and iPads, and other technologies. If you are a visual person, pinterest is perfect for you.Teachers Pay Teachers- If only I would have thought of this! Teachers are taking what they have created for their classroom and sharing it with others. Some items for free, some are at a low -cost. Let's just face it, a lot of us don't have the time to spend hours developing lessons and projects for our students, due to various reasons, but having access to thousands of projects and lessons at your finger tips delivers a powerful one-two punch. Save time by browsing through resources other teachers have perfected, and use them to provide meaningful learning experiences for your students.Learning from other educators or tech superheroes is a sure way to strengthen your tech knowledge, and help you unleash YOUR tech savvy super powers.

#HouseofEdTech ep 19 coming tomorrow! Great #edtech convo with @msEdtechie #mustlisten | http://t.co/xz8KnxyinT #njed #edchat #satchat— Mr. Christopher Nesi (@mrnesi) September 14, 2014

 I had the great opportunity to participate in the podcast The House of EdTech with Chris Nesi this past weekend. I got to share some of the ways I have integrated technology when I was a classroom teacher, and as a technology coach. It was such a fun experience, and I had a great conversation with Chris. Tune in to my featured podcast, but also the other podcast episodes. Subscribe via itunes, or listen on Stitcher. Chris is doing great work. Check out his websiteEducation: the Nesi Way: 19 Elementary #EdTech with Patricia J. Brown (@msE...: Patricia J. Brown  is a technology integration coach at Ladue (MO) School District , an adjunct professor at Lindenwood University , and...

International Dot Day was September 15th. It is all about being creative and making your mark on the world. The day is based on the book by Peter H. Reynolds, The Dot. It is a wonderful story about a little girl who doesn't think she can draw. She makes a dot and then builds on that one piece of art. Her teacher tells her its all about making your mark on the world and persevering. More about dot day here http://www.thedotclub.org/dotdayLast year our students used the drawing pad app on the iPads to illustrate how they would make their mark.  This year we tried something different.I got to celebrate Dot day again with Mrs. Towe's 2nd grade class. After reading the story and writing down their ideas for how they will make their mark on the world,They completed activities like making a team collage They created individual dots reflecting their favorite colors and ideas using the SpinArt App free version. The most exciting activity we completed was using this very cool app called the Colar Mix . This app allows you to see your drawings in 3D.  The class used Present.Me to create a video sharing their work, and saying how they will make their mark on the world.Kudos to Mrs. Towe for planning such a wonderful and fun filled day for her students.How will you make your mark? #dotday2014 @2t_Tweets @obeagles @peterhreynolds http://t.co/m02L1vF7Wv pic.twitter.com/n87bPWtjqi— Patricia J. Brown (@msEdtechie) September 15, 2014

Connecting Families

I've always been a huge fan of Educreations, a free whiteboard and recording app and website. I have included the app as one of my favorites on a few of my past blog posts.They have just introduced some new and improved features of their product, that will make using EduCreations even more productive. Educreations 2.0 version is better then ever!A Practical Way to Use Educreations  in a 4th grade classroomMrs. Prost created an Array Hunt lesson to help her 4th grade students make a real-world connection with arrays. Her students went on an Array hunt to find arrays around their school building, and used their iPads to show their learning.  I had the opportunity to work with Mrs. Prost & Mrs. Crawford's 4th grade classes as they used the camera app, and educations to complete their projects.Students first completed a SmartBoard mini lesson, and had a chance to interact with the SmartBoard to learn about Arrays, and how to create equations.Students were divided into groups. They used a sorting technique in Mrs. Crawford's class to make their own groups.After a few tries, they were able to make some great connections.Students were given their iPads, and were told they could go around the school to find arrays throughout the building. They had to find at least 10 arrays, and they had to be able to explain why it was an array, and also be able to create a solvable equation.They were also given this array worksheet, so they could focus their project on one array.After Array hunting, I worked with some students to show them how to use the newest version of educreations.As I said before, the new feature allows the teacher to create classes, and it also allows for students  to start and stop a presentations during the recordings.Students used their chosen array to develop a short educreations project demonstrating their knowledge of arrays.They found all kinds of arrays, and they came up with some very cool projects. Check out some of their great  projects from Mrs. Prost's class!Kudos to Mrs. Prost for creating such an authentic lesson, and both Mrs. Crawford and Mrs. Prost for creating this real-world learning experience for their students.How else could you use educreations in your classroom? Read how teachers are using EduCreations in their classrooms hereIn addition to their continued free option, they have introduced a new paid option called Educreations Pro. Their Pro Classroom and Pro School plans offer many additional features for teachers, students, and administrators. Educreations Pro provides the ultimate Educreations experience, and while it’s not free, it is affordable, at less than $2.50 per student.If you’re not able to upgrade to Pro, you can continue to use their free Basic Edition. The free app still includes all the same great features, plus some new features that let you save a draft of your work-in-progress, save your favorite lessons, track your viewing history, and create and manage classes that students can join right within the app. For new users, the free plan includes 50MB of storage space, which is enough for about 90 minutes of recorded lessons.

Using Digital Media to Connect Inside and Outside of the Classroom"True technology integration is seamless, it shouldn't be viewed as an add-on, an afterthought, or an event." P. Brown.Start by taking a moment to reflect. Think about last year. How well did you integrate technology in your classroom? The key word is integrate. Unlike "using" technology, which can seem more like an arbitrary afterthought, integrating technology can be a planned, purposeful part of the classroom environment.But at the end of the day, there are always questions to ask yourself: What tool did I use to connect with my parents and students? How well did I collaborate with other educators? What didn't work? What is one thing I would like to try differently this year? To answer these questions, I often turn to the people who can help me evaluate how effectively I’ve been integrating edtech tools into the classroom: students, parents and fellow educators. Opening up these lines of communication helps you to determine areas in which you could improve your teaching with simple tools that help you stay organized and engage your students.   Leveraging relationships with educatorsOne of the most simple ways to begin to breakdown your classroom walls is to build a strong PLN, or Personal Learning Network.  A personal learning network is made up of people/places you go to gain knowledge, share knowledge and collaborate with others of like minds and interests. After all, why reinvent the wheel? If you find someone who has great ideas that they are sharing through their blog, why not try them out? Twitter is one the easiest and common ways to develop a strong PLN. Following people who share your role in education, or what you aspire to be, is key to staying connected and current with tech trends. When corporations want to get the word out on their new products, they usually take to Twitter and other social media outlets first. Check out your local edtech organizations that host weekly chats on twitter like #moedchat in Missouri, or  hashtags #edtech, #digitalmedia, and #mobilelearning.  And don’t forget to contribute yourself--other educators want to learn your awesome practices, too!Leveraging relationships with studentsOur students need an authentic audiences, and the ability to connect with others too. How do you do this? By introducing new concepts and activities using creative measures, and out-of the box thinking.  Skype can be used in the classroom to support your curriculum, such as participating in a Mystery Skypes, or an author visit via Skype Experts. NASA has a Digital Learning Network, so you can sign up your classes to Skype with an astronaut or a member of NASA. They have a variety of topics from Food in Space to Robotics to Life on Mars. It's a great way to have your students connect with experts. Skype with another classroom to share projects or become pen pals. There are over 70,000 educators around the world who use Skype in their classrooms everyday. Discovery Education recently hosted a "Doodle For Google" contest, a Live Virtual Field trip with Google Doodlers at the Google Headquarters. Students were able to chat with professional artists and programmers to learn. Google has also launched Connected Classrooms where students can participate in virtual field trips with virtual tour guides from organizations like the San Diego Zoo, The White House or Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. Leveraging relationships with parentsParents want to feel like they are a part of their child’s learning process, and connected to your classroom. Creating  a classroom Twitter, Facebook page or blog are ways to this, but there are other digital tools that you can use with parents  to build those lines of communication as well, like Remind (formerly Remind 101). This tool allows you to send text messages to parents and students without providing them with your phone number. Teachers have found Remind helpful when they want to send scheduled test reminders, open house, or homework reminders automatically. Class Dojo is a behavior management tool for the classroom with a reward system built into the app and website that motivates students; the app allows you to provide students with immediate feedback, and allows them to earn points for rewards. The system tracks this data, and gives you the ability to share this data instantly with parents. Teachers have found that using this tool has improved overall classroom behavior, and has become a very positive force in communicating with parents.You can also save hours of time making phone calls by using SignupGenius, a free online tool for creating and managing group sign up lists and forms. Classroom teachers have used this tool to manage parent teacher conferences, class volunteers, book fairs and more. Parents can sign up digitally, and receive automatic reminders. ConclusionStill looking for ideas of tried and true ways other educators are using technology in the classroom? Try searching on Pinterest. There are so many edtech pinterest boards, where people post apps and blogs to try out, as well as ideas for using and iPads, and other technologies. If you are a visual person, pinterest is perfect for you.Teachers Pay Teachers- If only I would have thought of this! Teachers are taking what they have created for their classroom and sharing it with others. Some items for free, some are at a low -cost. Let's just face it, a lot of us don't have the time to spend hours developing lessons and projects for our students, due to various reasons, but having access to thousands of projects and lessons at your finger tips delivers a powerful one-two punch. Save time by browsing through resources other teachers have perfected, and use them to provide meaningful learning experiences for your students.Digital Media is changing how people, including our students, interact with the world. This paves the way for changes in the strategies and tools we use for teaching and learning. Becoming a digital expert doesn’t happen overnight: It takes some specific goal setting, and dedication. Focusing on one tool, or a few tools at a time is key to making sure you don't find yourself overwhelmed. Collaborating with others is a perfect way to strengthen your tech knowledge while connecting with your students and parents, both inside and outside of the classroom.

"True technology integration is seamless, it shouldn't be viewed as an add-on, an afterthought, or an event." P. Brown.Many school districts are turning to Chromebooks as a practical option for 1:1 technology initiatives. Intel-Powered Chromebooks are an easy to use, and affordable option for getting technology in the hands of students and teachers. Chromebooks are practical tools to use when striving to meet the ISTE standards, formerly the NETS. the framework for learning, teaching and leading in the digital age. These standards promote a focus of integrating technology to promote creativity and innovation, collaboration and communication, research and fluency, critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making. Google Apps for Education partnered with a Chromebook allows for simple and seamless integration encompassing those standards.So how can you integrate Chromebooks in your classroom in order to meet the ISTE standards, and create authentic learning experiences for your students? Google Apps for Education makes this very easy. Students can easily connect through already installed apps on their Chromebooks. Using Chromebooks students can use 21st century skills to communicate through Google Drive, Gmail, Video Conferencing, and Google Calendar.Chromebooks give students the option to collaborate face to face, or on the computer when working on projects through Google Docs, Google Sites, and Gmail. Students can use the productivity tools via the web to access their work anywhere and anytime. Here are some simple ways students can use Chromebooks to work in the cloud.Start by establishing the ground rules. Think of fun and engaging ways to introduce rules and procedures using this technology in your classroom. Create a video or slide show using Google Apps, or have students come up with their own rules, and create presentations to share. Students could earn their Chromebook license, similar to a drivers license their parents earn. Students could be given challenges to complete in order to learn about their new Chromebook, and to demonstrate that they are responsible users.When using Google Apps to Collaborate and Communicate, use Google Docs with students to:Have students work collaboratively from anywhereGive students ongoing and simultaneous feedback. Instead of lugging home 30 reading response journals every week to comment on, have students keep their journals in a shared Google Doc.  You can give your comments while students continue to write in their journals!Use revision history to hold students accountable for their workPublish student workTranslate letters home to parents who speak a different language, by using the translate featureUse spreadsheets to track student homework.  Give each student an anonymous number and share the sheet with parents.Students and teachers can use Google Forms to create surveys to collect data, and submit assignments.Create registration forms for events, and opinion polls, and voting.Create fictional stories, personal narratives, or essays.Teachers can create classroom websites, and students can create Digital Portfolios, or Research projects using Google Sites. Students can use Google Earth, and Google Maps to see far away places, and or Google Lit Trips. Students and teachers can use Google  Connected Classrooms to  participate in a virtual field trips with virtual tour guides from organizations like the San Diego Zoo, The White House, or Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.  Teachers also need to collaborate and connect with other educators.Teachers can use Google Docs to:Work on the same lesson plan at the same time with a colleagueStore important docs in your school's shared Doc list so that anyone at your school can find and access them.Share district curriculum, or RTI data, or district wide initiatives.  Create a folder for your grade level to share resources.Use forms to create climate surveys, or collect simple data from parents and other colleagues.Check out some other practical ways educators are using Chromebooks in their classrooms by visiting the ChromeBook Classroom YouTube Channel, or Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Chromebooks page.  "Intel Education wants to help educators everywhere with their technology integration by launching a new site: Intel.com/ChromeEDU. Find simple tips and ideas towards your Chromebook integration, with helpful blog posts by well-informed bloggers: Vicki Davis, Naomi Harm, Leslie Nielsen, and Erin Klein. Over the next few weeks until September 30, 2014, those who follow @IntelEDU and tweet about their favorite Chromebook feature with #IntelChromebooks will be entered to win their very own Intel-powered Chromebook. Join us today to spread the word to our fellow teachers! They are not alone in their tech integration!"

Fire Safety and Prevention Week is October 5-11th. Teaching Fire Safety is easy when you have the help of Sparky the Dog! The National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) provides a variety of fun free apps and other resources for teachers to use in the classroom.Sparky.org  and SparkySchoolHouse.org both provide fun activities for students to learn about Fire Safety. They have also provided specific lessons related to their apps. (Check out the Resources) They have made learning fun with music videos like, "Little Rosalie"Sing and dance along with SteveSongs as Rosalie and her little brother learn the four key steps to follow when you hear the sound of a smoke alarm.Or this one with What’s That Sound? Can Recess Monkey and their gang of pals brave Sparky’s flying smoke alarm to learn what it takes to stay fire safe?Make sure you also check out their newest app, The Case of the Missing Smoke Alarms!Or their other app Sparky’s Birthday SurpriseTeach kids important fire-safety skills this free app is full of games, activities, and sing-a-longs. Most importantly, it is aligned to Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts and Math.Written by New York Times bestselling authors, this free eBook is ideal for reinforcing fire-safety messages with students while building critical skills in reading comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, and more. Rescue Dogs, Firefighting Heroes, and Science Facts meets Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science through a combination of nonfiction, fictional stories, scientific diagrams, and poetry.Download the free ebookNewsletter: Don’t miss out on any exciting news from Sparky the Fire Dog! Sign up for Safety Source, NFPA’s public education newsletter today.check out more here