Here’s the roundup of what's been popular on The Innovative Educator blog.Holding strong for another week are two posts. One is from my book Teaching Generation Text. This post outlines the building blocks for BYOD success. Next is an article that shares some new ed tech tools I plan to try.There are a few more posts to round out the top including how to effectively use social media at events, why ignoring is not the only answer when it comes to bullies and tips for teens using social media. I hope there's something that looks of interest to you.  If it does, check it out. If you’re inspired use one of those icons below the post to share it with others and/or leave a comment.EntryPageviews7 #BYOD Building Blocks for SuccessOct 11, 2015, 33054 #EdTech Tools I've Never Used Before The #TLTech...Oct 25, 2015, 2868Some good reasons to go to schoolApr 11, 2011, 2339Ideas for Using Social Media to Improve Live Event...Oct 18, 2015, 227410 Tips For Teens Using Social Media #HavetheTalk ...Oct 13, 2015, 1964How Tech Using Teachers Can #HavetheTalk with Admi...Oct 28, 2015, 1648Bullies: Let’s Do More Than IgnoreNov 1, 2015, 1567

Innovative educators enjoy using high quality digital programs to support learning where they work, but it does mean their role shifts.  There are several changes in environments where technology is used to  teach.Instruction is differentiated based on the pace of the learner rather than all students progressing at the predetermined pace of the class.Instant feedback and assessment.Discussions may be silent and not visible to an observer.Data dashboard provides an instant view into learning.There is screen rather than a teacher in front of the students.Questions a learner has can be answered instant by community members.So when tech is doing the things teachers did, what do teachers do? Here are some ideas.I want more »

Today I will be at Google’s New York office speaking on a panel hosted by Google and HMH where I will share insights and best practices for school district leadership teams to use when developing digital learning strategies. I will be discussing five critical issues. Below are some of the insights I plan to share. I want more »

Here’s the roundup of what's been popular on The Innovative Educator blog.A new post takes the lead this week. In it I highlight four ed tech tools I plan to start using. Check it out and let me know what you think of the tools. A close second is my reaction to the new Common Sense census on digital media use by #8to18 year olds. In it I share why adults should freak out.  There are a few more posts to round out the top including how to use Padlet to put together a visually pleasing reading list and how to talk with administrators about teacher effectiveness in the 21st century classroom.  My final hot post shares some of the new roles for teachers in a tech-rich environment. I hope there's something that looks of interest to you.  If it does, check it out. If you’re inspired use one of those icons below the post to share it with others and/or leave a comment. Entry Pageviews 4 #EdTech Tools I've Never Used Before The #TLTech...Oct 25, 2015,  2924 #8to18 Yr Olds Use Media Constantly: Why You Shoul...Nov 8, 2015,  2621 A Nicer Way to Put Together Reading or Resource Li...Nov 11, 2015,  2511 How Tech Using Teachers Can #HavetheTalk with Admi...Oct 28, 2015,  2242 When Tech Teaches, What Do Teachers Do?Nov 15, 2015,  1987

A familiar refrain I hear among educators is this: "When it comes to learning, we can all agree that the most important factor is the teacher." Teaching is widely considered the most important when it comes to the education of children. Parents often believe it. Politicians say it. Ed Reformers buy it. Badass Teachers agree -- as illustrated below. But it’s not factual. I want more »

Social media is no longer new, so why are schools, districts, organizations, and programs still getting it so wrong. They will spend a bundle on client/community relationships and promotion, but they don’t take the simple steps necessary to get free engagement and build relationships with a targeted audience. Here are the three big mistakes others make that you should avoid.Where’s the Hashtag?I’ve attended events hosted by some of the biggest education providers and businesses in the world. They use a hashtag, but despite all the benefits of using a hashtag at events, it is nowhere to be found. It’s not in the program. It’s not on presenters slides. It’s not on the name tag. Not only that, presenters names and titles are shown without their handles. Logos are not hashtags.Another mistake is printing materials from the web that are made for clicking. For example, the handout will say,  "Stay connected with us." and have logos of popular social media outlets but no handles or links. Not okay. You must include information on how to find you on each outlet. Come on folks. Get with the 21st century already.Do not print clickable logos without providing links.Be Consistent.I can’t tell you how many major conferences, events, and programs I have been a part of where they don’t stick with one consistent hashtag. They think they’re interchangeable, but they’re not!#Fail @gcouros suggests a hashtag & I tweet using three versions #LCPSLearn #LoudounLearn #LoudounLearns— Eric Williams (@ewilliams65) November 3, 2015At your next event, take note. Who is getting it right? Who's not? Share what you find using #HashtagFail or #HashtagSuccess. 

Here’s the roundup of what's been popular on The Innovative Educator blog.A new post takes the lead this week. It addresses a question that often comes up in professional development where teachers learn a tool like Duolingo, Skoolbo, Code.org, Google CS First or Minecraft where students can learn on their own. The question is when students are learning from a computer, how does that change the role of a teacher.  I share my ideas and would love to hear yours. Next up are best practices and strategies I have found successful for some of the most critical issues in digital learning.There are a few more posts to round out the top including some new tech tools I plan to investigate as well my take on why we shouldn’t freak out about the Common Sense Census which found that teens consume 9 hours of media a day outside of school.  I hope there's something that looks of interest to you.  If it does, check it out. If you’re inspired use one of those icons below the post to share it with others and/or leave a comment. Entry Pageviews When Tech Teaches, What Do Teachers Do?Nov 15, 2015,  2466 5 Critical Issues In Digital Learning - Best Pract...Nov 17, 2015,  2008 4 #EdTech Tools I've Never Used Before The #TLTech...Oct 25, 2015,  1944 #8to18 Yr Olds Use Media Constantly: Why You Shoul...Nov 8, 2015,  1644 A Nicer Way to Put Together Reading or Resource Li...Nov 11, 2015,  1637 Some good reasons to go to schoolApr 11, 2011,  1415 How Tech Using Teachers Can #HavetheTalk with Admi...Oct 28, 2015,  1249

"Think of the last time you were in a totally boring gathering and ask yourself: ‘Where was your heart and mind?’ Typical answer: Not present. Could be out on the beach, gone fishing, thinking of the next project -- but definitely not there. Only an uncomfortable body remains stuck in a chair -- maybe even snoring." -Harrison Owen, creator of Open Space Tech (OST) and author of Open Space Technology: A Users GuideOwen asks an interesting question for innovative educators to consider. While we would like to believe every meeting, presentation, or breakout workshop was meaningful, relevant, and engaging, the truth is sometimes they aren’t.Owen, whose simple approach was developed more than 30 years ago to help people be more productive, follows up with this question: "How much better for all if you just went and did something useful!?"  OST employs The Law of Two Feet. It is something we all do, albeit sometimes covertly as in the example above when our body is present, but our brain is not. The Law of Two Feet allows you to use your feet to bring your brain to a place where it would be of better use. If you’ve been to an EdCamp, Unconference, Unplugged, or other progressive, learner-directed event, you are familiar with the law of two feet. If you are unfamiliar, the concept may seem offensive or disrespectful. Read on to understand how this model may be useful to provide a worthwhile experience for those who attend your event, meeting, conference, symposium, summit, or retreat. Typically, if someone is bored at a meeting or event, they may be seen as rude. But what if we acknowledged and even embraced those who were bored and flipped the situation on it’s head. Maybe the problem is not that someone is bored. Instead, perhaps the meeting or event could be more effective, more engaging, or maybe the person who is bored should not be there in the first place. Perhaps their time could be better spent elsewhere but they weren't given an option.The Law of Two Feet, takes these considerations into account.  The law says this:I want more »

There’s been a lot of discussion in my learning networks lately warning of the horrors of students learning from screens and relegating teachers to the status of robot babysitters. Here’s one such snippet from the Stop Common Core blog.==For a while teachers will be on the sidelines to coach kids through the modules, check the data dashboards, and sign off on community projects. But over time, taxpayers will start to think "maybe we don’t really need actual school buildings or teachers anymore." "It’s so much easier to just have learning hubs with mentors who don’t have tenure or pension benefits and are paid through grants.""Who wants to shoulder a property tax increase for new roofs or boilers?" "Surely we can recoup some funding by selling off our aging buildings to condo developers." And so slowly that people don’t even realize what is taking place, schools, as real physical entities, will be dissolved. Schools will have become diffused within the community, the exact opposite of an anchor.So if you hear people start talking about "any time, anywhere, any pace learning," pause. Do you want to outsource your child’s education to uncertified partners or computer modules? ==I’m an educator....and none of this sounds terrifying or disturbing to me. The above author asks parents if they want to outsource their child’s education to uncertified partners and computer modules.  What’s really wrong with that? Industry experts and peers who share interests provide a wonderful way to learn, if it’s chosen by young people who enjoy the content and the method. Textbooks are often no competition for interactive learning that could take place online.  The question is this: Does technology really mean the end of teaching as we know it? I hope so.  I want more »

I receive lots of questions and see lots of posts about the effective use of Google Apps for Education in the K-12 environment. Following are some of my thoughts.We used a separate domain for the staff and students since staff mail had to be archived (as per the eDiscovery regulations) and student email does not. We purchased staff email archiving from Gaggle who have a Gmail API that makes it simple. We do not use Gaggle for email accounts, however.Google Apps for Education works the same way as Google Apps Premier, with a tad less online storage space per user. The wonderful things about it is that any user can limit any publication to just those who are on the domain, if they wish. We use this when we are publishing something for only district staff. In addition, users can always selectively choose outside users (like our students on the other domain) to see their Docs, Calendars, Sites, etc.When you administer Google Apps for Education, you can chose to allow access (or dis-allow access) to the suite of tools -- Email, Calendar, Docs, Talk, Sites, Video, and Web Pages -- for all users. Google Groups and Blogger are not in the suite, but, of course may be easily used.We received explicit permission from our parents in grades 6-8 to give their students email accounts. Here is the permission slip we used for this special purpose. If I were to set this up again, I might simply create three domains-- one for staff, one for the middle and high school students with email turned on, and one for the younger students with email turned off, but with log-in access to Docs and Sites, to allow collaborative work to take place in a closed environment. You do not need to have email turned on to use these tools.We used the last two digits of YOG-last name-first initial for the student accounts. In addition, so their real name did not show up in the header of mail they sent, when setting up the accounts, I used the YOG-last name for the last name of the student and their first initial for their first name.The use of these Google Apps has moved technology ahead rapidly in our district. Between shared calendars for school-based meetings to internal Google Sites acting as mini-Moodle packages, both teachers and students have made good use of the apps for communication, collaboration, and creation.Here are some links to Nauset Google pages:Superintendent's Newsletter : this is coded to look like one of our Web pages, but is a Google Doc that the Superintendent's assistant updates each month. This is an easy way to distribute some of the updating of Web page info to others. She simply overwrites the content in the Google Doc each month and republishes, thus the hyperlink on the Web page remains the same.Cache the Wave: this is a summer professional development announcement and sign-up Google Site with embedded Google formsGoogle Goodies: this is a Google site with three parts-- a round-up of a weekly tip I sent to all staff and students, embedded screencasts for the basic Google Apps usage, and an RSS workshop I created for our adminstrators.Middle School Newsletter: although dated, this can give you some idea on how to distribute the work involved in your school-produced newsletter since each user can update their own pages of the shared Site. There is one thing different about Sites than Docs, though. When you make a change to a Google Sites page, it automatically goes live and with Docs you can choose to do it that same way or manually publish it when you are ready.Updated information 10/11/09We continue to use Google sites inside the domain for teacher/student sharing.Many teachers have begun to create resource pages for their students using Google docs.We make extensive use of the calendaring functionality in Google Apps for Ed for staff purposes. IEP meetings, vacation schedules, literacy meetings, couselors' student meetings, etc. are scheduled with invitations to staff on non-public calendars.With the addition of Google video, which provides internal-only storage and access to videos, we have been able to post some school-wide items that we would not have wanted outside.Students are beginning to use Google Sites as a personal portfolio, attaching their work to the file cabinet page and embedding those items that are embeddable.We are using Google Forms for all types of data collection-- everything from registering for workshops to survey data of parents and community members, and much more.We have changed the student naming convention to start with the entire 4 digits of the year of graduation. The administrative sort and search is easier that way.We have made use of the offline capabilities of Google Calendar in a school that was having Internet-connection problems. Although the calendars are static on the machine, at least they are accessible.  Visit Kathy's Web pages: Kathy Schrock's Home Page Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators

I recently attended a workshop covering the use of the iPad for administrators. I went to support my administrators as they learned everything from unboxing to syncing to installing apps.  As I was sitting there, I realized what was needed, to move the "one-to-one with tablets" initiative ahead, was a workshop which covered the reasons to use these devices to support teaching and learning, included an overview of successful practices already in place, and showcased lots and lots of apps in all content areas at all grade levels. I am in the process of developing such a presentation (The iPad as ePad) and it could not be more fun to put together! My first step was to create a Web page to include links to tutorials, reviewed apps lists created by others, items specific to special education using the iPad, and pointers to some articles by those already using the iPad with students. Take a look at it if you get a chance. http://linkyy.com/ipad There is also a Google form on that page to add your favorite "iPad in education" list of apps or blog or lesson plan or ideas page. Please take the time to share if you know of a great resource! iPads in the Classroom Support site (http://linkyy.com/ipad)   Visit Kathy's Web pages: Kathy Schrock's Home Page Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators

I am part of the second round of the giveaway promotion of the Lenovo ThinkCentre M90z. This promotion, administered by The Influential Network on behalf of Lenovo, has people in various jobs create a contest to support their area of expertise. Each giveaway is run for 5 days and, once it is closed, a single winner from each contest is chosen to receive a ThinkCentre M90z from those who participate in the contest. There are a few of us in the educational technology field participating in the giveways, and, since one of the participants has his contest running first and had the same idea as I did, I am going to change my parameters. Richard Byrne will be gathering the information I was interested in and there is no reason to have it duplicated. I posted a blog entry about my initial impression of the Thinkcentre M90z here a few months ago. You might want to read it and read up on this great new machine! My contest runs from April 18, 2011 at 6am (UTC -4:00) until April 22, 2011 at 7pm (UTC -4:00). The winner will be chosen randomly and announced on this site at 8pm (UTC -4:00). My contest will be open to anyone in education (whether practicing teachers, undergrad or graduate education students, or educational consultants) and will ask participants to contribute an online resource that works well (and is pedagogically-sound) using the touchscreen of the Lenovo. Our students are very "into" touchscreens with the influx of tablets into schools and their own personal lives. I have seen young children try to use a desktop computer's screen as a touchscreen, and, of course, it does not work! However, this model of the Lenovo Thinkcentre M90z DOES have a touchscreen, so I will be asking you to find some good resources to take advantage of that capability. The link to my contest page is here. Below, you will also find links to all of the others who are participating in this giveaway and the dates of their contests (and you will find some really cool new blogs to follow, too!) Update April 18, 2011: Link to my contest page! Lenovo M90z Giveaway Participants Site Start End Date Free Tech 4 TeachersApr 14 Apr 18 Ilja Coolen \ ICSSApr 15 Apr 19 Physician MomApr 16 Apr 20 Scrubd InApr 17 Apr 21 Kathy Schrock's KaffeeklatschApr 18 Apr 22 Steve Harg adon.comApr 19 Apr 23 Box of TricksApr 21 Apr 25 Clinton Fitch.comApr 22 Apr 26 Around the CornerApr 23 Apr 27 Tech Savvy EdApr 25 Apr 29 Small Biz TechnologyApr 26 Apr 30 Ablet FactoryApr 27 May 1 Click NewzApr 28 May 2 Geekazine Apr 29 May 3 21st Century Education TechnologyApr 30 May 4 A GeekyMomma's BlogMay 1 May 5 Marsha Collier's MusingsMay 2 May 6 VA NetworkingMay 3 May 7 Your Virtual AssistantMay 4 May 8 Jake Ludington's Media BlabMay 5 May 9 Mobile PC WorldMay 6 May 10 Dangerously IrrelevantMay 7 May 11 Bud the TeacherMay 8 May 12 KikolaniMay 9 May 13 Geeks To GoMay 10 May 14 Chad Lehman.comMay 11 May 15   Visit Kathy's Web pages: Kathy Schrock's Home Page Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators

http://www.flickr.com/photos/timlauer/5407980960/  As many of you know, I have created an "iPads in the Classroom" support page here: http://linkyy.com/ipad. I include tutorials, lists of apps and related materials, a special education section, a Blooms/iPad app section, and a section dealing with successful uses in the classroom. Since school has started, I have been monitoring a Google Alert in my Google Reader, selecting "iPads in the classroom" as the key phrase I am interested in. I am amazed at the number of posts on this single topic in such a short period of time!  The posts come from media outlets, parent Web sites, teacher blogs and wikis, school district media briefs, and many other places. It is interesting to me that many of the posts are extolling the fact there are now iPads in the classrooms in their school, district, state, etc. I am waiting patiently for follow-up information on how the devices are being utilized to impact teaching and learning. I know we are early in the game, but let's get to it, fellow educators! Those of you that are lucky enough to have a 1:1 tablet initiative, please post your findings on a daily basis. Even a simple Twitter post (hashtag #edtablet) with the URL of your blog, wiki, Weebly page, Google doc, or to where ever you are publishing your insights, data, or cautions, can help others convince their administrators or school boards that a personal portable device, with a student 24x7, can impact teaching and learning in a real way! Thanks in advance for your help!   Visit Kathy's Web pages: Kathy Schrock's Home Page Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators

I took advantage of the iStopMotion app for iPad and the iStopMotion Remote Camera to create two versions of this video for two different purposes. One has already been submitted and the second does not have to be submitted since I am unable to participate in the required week-long institute. I wanted to share the stop-motion videos with you. More about the process later!TRANSFORMATIONTransformation is defined as a thorough and dramatic change. Is education thoroughly transformed from the industrial model? Not yet, but there are some very exciting things being implemented into teaching and learning.From lectures to flipping, STEM to STEAM, desktop to mobile, text to infographics, consuming to publishing, labs to BYOD, group teaching to personalized learning,  and networks to peer-to-peer, technology is becoming the conduit for it all.Transformation of the traditional, teacher-centered or even the student-centered classroom, to one in which all members of the educational community have a part in planning, implementing, and creating, is becoming the norm. Collaboration is the way educators now work—from their PLN on Twitter to the global projects they and their class participate in.Are we there yet? Not quite. Education systems, infrastructure, funds, and the "old" ways of doing things are still getting in the way at times.  But, with the number of successful practices and hard data coming out to support these transformations’ positive impact on student learning, education seems to be ready to forge ahead with these and other, yet undiscovered, innovative practices.I wanted to showcase, in a unique way, the transformation that can occur with the use of mobile technologies in the classroom. I hope you enjoy it!iOS version Android version  It was a steep learning curve to get the apps to drop into the respective tablets. I finally found the solution by using motion paths in PowerPoint, setting timings, and using Camtasia to record the single slide with all the motion paths. I simply took a screenshot from the video of the tablet before it entered the backpack and put that into PowerPoint. I then created one and two motion paths and just kept replacing the images. The all were stacked on top of one another. Here is what that looked like in the Android version of the movie. (Update 3/14/13: I re-did the apps for the iPad version using icons instead of screen shots. I realize now that I could have used FLY IN from upper right and left and FLY OUT to bottom right and left. PowerPoint would have allowed me to put the time between the two animations in order to pause the icon.)Set-up of motion paths in PPT for Android movieI was able to get the apps to drop "into" the tablet by creating a layer at the front of the slide that included half of the tablet. The image was at the back, and the items fell down in-between them.Thoughts? Comments?   Visit Kathy's Web pages: Kathy Schrock's Home Page Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything

The Hewlett Packard EliteDesk 800 G1 Mini PC is a tiny desktop computer with lots of big features!Its footprint is 6.9 x 1.3 x 7.0 inches and it weighs only 2.92 pounds, less than a lot of laptops! The HP EliteDesk 800 G1 Mini PC  has a 4th generation Intel processor and runs the newest Windows operating systems. The front of the computer includes two USB 3.0 ports (one of which is a USB fast charge port) and an audio-out and microphone jack.Shown with optional stand, monitor, keyboard and mouseOn the back, it has an additional four USB 3.0 ports, a VGA connection, an Ethernet port, 2 Display Ports, and an audio-out jack. The bottom of the HP EliteDesk 800 G1 Mini PC has a VESA mount.A wireless card is an option as is an external DVD/RW drive. With a 500GB standard hard drive or up to a 1TB solid state drive, the HP EliteDesk 800 G1 Mini PC packs a great computer into a "mini" package. Also, due to its small size, it has more than 3 times the energy-efficiency of a tower desktop.The unit I received has a 2.9gHz i5 processor and is running Windows 7 Professional, but the upgrade disk to Windows 8.1 was also included in the package. It has 4GB RAM, a 128GB solid state hard drive, and the WiFi card.Here is more detailed specs and information about the HP EliteDesk 800 G1 Mini PC.USE IN SCHOOLSIn the education arena, the HP EliteDesk 800 G1 Mini PC can solve any number of problems as well as help schools think "out of the box".Teacher’s desks are notoriously cluttered with the tools of the trade…their teaching materials, stationery supplies for student use, and much more. The diminutive footprint of the HP EliteDesk 800 G1 Mini PC can free up a ton of usable space on a teacher’s desk and also eliminate the "big box" on the dusty floor! Teachers can easily get access to the USB ports and audio jacks on the front of the EliteDesk G1 Mini PC when they need to, too.Another plus for teachers is the WiFi capabilities of the device. In the past, teachers were tied to classroom area of the Ethernet jack and VGA connection. Now, with wireless projectors and wireless network access, the HP EliteDesk 800 G1 Mini can sit anywhere in the room. In addition, with the plethora of collaborative apps that can have students share over WiFi, the teacher and students can share documents, collaborate in real-time on virtual whiteboards, and students can mirror their mobile devices to the teacher’s desktop.In schools where security of computers in a lab setting or classroom is a concern, this tiny HP EliteDesk Mini 800 G1 Mini PC can be easily locked up at night in a drawer or closet. It does have the traditional cable lock port, but locking them up at night might be a better option.The low cost and energy-efficiency also make this mini computer a perfect replacement for the bigger CPUs in a computer lab setting. The SSD drive makes them fast to boot up and, again, space is saved on the computer lab tables for other student project-based or reference work.One creative idea, if students have a monitor, keyboard, and mouse at home, is to have the HP EliteDesk 800 G1 Mini PC become a school’s 1:1 device of choice. The light 2.92 lb. weight, the SSD drive which would not be subject to problems when carried in a backpack, and the built-in WiFi could allow students to bring it back and forth from school to home. In school, there would be labs of monitors, keyboards, and mice and extra sets of these in the classroom, library, science labs, and even the cafeteria!  A student would just hook-up his or her HP EliteDesk 800 G1 Mini wherever there was a "workstation" spot. THE CONTESTHP graciously provided me with the opportunity to give away a new HP EliteDesk 800 G1 Mini PC to a lucky US or Canadian PreK-16 educator or pre-service or graduate education student! In order to have a chance to win the Mini PC, educators were asked to make a mini-- a mini-infographic that is!As you know, an infographic is a visual representation of data. Having students create them as a formative or summative assessment can help them practice their information literacy, visual literacy, data literacy, and technology literacy skills.When starting off with this type of lesson or unit, it is best to start small. Have students research to find one piece of interesting data, decide who the audience for the infographic is going to be, consider the type of data visualization that would work best to showcase the information, and then create a mini-infographic showcasing just that single piece of interesting data.USA Today, since beginning publication, has offered a mini-infographic they call a "snapshot" on the front page of each issue of the newspaper. Researchers, reporters, and editors in each of the primary departments of News, Money, Sports, and Life account for most of the ideas and research for these snapshots. Once the research is complete, the information goes to a graphic artist who creates the infographic. This process usually take between three and four hours.Here are some links to sample USA Today snapshots in the area of news.http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/snapshot/news/2001-07-02-gas-prices.htm http://images.usatoday.com/graphics/snap/news/julygas.jpg  http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/snapshot/news/2001-07-06-familysize.htm    http://images.usatoday.com/graphics/snap/news/familysize.jpg http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/snapshot/news/2001-04-24-email.htm  http://images.usatoday.com/graphics/snap/news/emailnews.jpg  http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/snapshot/news/2001-08-13-cellphone.htm   http://images.usatoday.com/graphics/snap/news/n.cellphone.jpg http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/snapshot/news/2001-09-11-america.htm   http://images.usatoday.com/graphics/snap/news/america.jpg CONTEST OVERVIEW (CONTEST CLOSED DECEMBER 7, 2014)In order to participate in the contest to win an HP EliteDesk 800 G1 Mini PC desktop computer, the educator had to create a mini-infographic or "snapshot" and submit it to me. The winner of the HP EliteDesk 800 G1 Mini PC was randomly chosen from those educators who submit the mini-infographic.The topic of the infographic had to be in their content area, an education or educational technology-related topic, or anything else of interest to K-12 educators or students. The infographic could have been intended to inform or persuade.  I provided the entrants with the background image to use for the infographic.To find out more about infographics, visit my infographics page here: http://www.schrockguide.net/infographics-as-an-assessment.htmlCREATING THE MINI-INFOGRAPHICThe easiest way to create a mini-infographic is to create a single slide in PowerPoint, Keynote, or Google Slides.  For this contest, I had created a PowerPoint, Keynote, and JPEG version of the background entrants were required to use. The background illustrated the "clean" desk teachers would have by using an HP EliteDesk 800 G1 Mini PC!On that single slide/image, entrants had to add the text and data information, and include the citation to the sources used for their infographic information. All of that information had to be that single slide. Here is a sample I created:When entrants were finished with the slide, in PowerPoint they picked FILE- SAVE AS PICTURES, in Keynote picked FILE-EXPORT TO- IMAGES, and in Google Slides picked FILE- DOWNLOAD AS- JPEG IMAGE. They saved the image to their desktop or Google Drive (or their Camera Roll or Gallery if they were using a tablet).Entrants emailed the single JPEG image to me at kathy@kathyschrock.net. They also put "Mini" in the subject line of the email and their name, email address, and Twitter handle (if they had one) in the body of the email.Here were the links to the background image in the three different formatsPowerPoint slideKeynote slideJPEG image REVIEWEducators had to locate some small bit of data they wanted to share with other educators or students. Using the background on the single slide, they added --a title for the infographica labeled chart or graphtext to explain what the viewer is seeing URL to the page(s) where they obtained the dataSaved the slide as JPEG to their computing deviceSent the JPEG as an attachment to kathy@kathyschrock.net with the subject of "Mini"Included their name, email address, and Twitter handle, if they had one, in the body of the emailThe contest was open to PreK-16 educators and pre-service and graduate education students in the United States and Canada. By submitting the mini-infographic entry, entrants had a random chance to win the HP EliteDesk 800 G1 Mini PC and they were giving me permission to possibly post your infographic on my blog site whether they won or not. Their name would not appear on the Web page, just the mini-infographic itself.By submitting the entry, if they were chosen as the winner, they were are also allowing me to share their name, email address, and mailing address with HP (or an HP associate) so they could send the winner  the HP EliteDesk 800 G1 Mini PC. The winner’s name would be announced on the blog (but not tied to their submission) and on Twitter.The email address of all who submit entries will remain private except for the winner, whose email address will be shared with HP (or an HP associate).The submissions were due on: December 7, 2014 by 11:59 PM Eastern Time and the contest is now closed.UPDATE DECEMBER 8, 2014SUBMITTED INFOGRAPHICSHere are some of the great mini-infographics that were submitted! Thank you to all who re-tweeted about the contest and for those that submitted an entry! THE WINNERThe randomly-chosen winner of the giveway of the HP EliteDesk 800 G1 Mini PC was Mark Case! I used the DecideNow app on the iPad to pick the winner-- congrats to Mark!  Visit Kathy's Web pages: Kathy Schrock's Home Page Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything

I received a note today from a teacher who wound up with a classroom set of iPad 1's for her classroom, and she was looking for lesson ideas that would work with that "older" device. Of course, many of the lesson ideas, tips, and tricks that are on the Web for any generation of the iPad will provide a good starting point for planning, like those I have on this site, but there are some specific things to consider when using the older iPad.There were some limitations on the first gen iPad-- it had no camera and only projected certain things through the VGA connection. Back in 2010, I asked people to add apps that would project with an iPad to a Google form. I have no idea if this is of any use now, but here is the link. The iPad first generation can run up to iOS 5.1.1, so, when looking at current lessons that use iPad apps that require a newer operating system, and doing a search for comparable apps in the iTunes App Store, look for the operating system requirements listed on the app page. It will probably take a bit of searching to find those that will work, but it will be worth it! For instance, one of my favorite iPad apps, Sock Puppets, only requires iOS 4.3. And I am sure there are plenty of good creation apps that still work with the older operating systems.Sock Puppets only needs iOS 4.3I also figured out if you do a Google search on "iPads in the Classroom" or "iPad in the Classroom", and limit the date span of the search from the day the iPad 1 was announced to the day when the iPad 2 was launched, the resulting series of hits will provide lots of great ideas on the use of the original iPad to support teaching and learning.Here is how to conduct that search. Do a search in Google, pick the SEARCH TOOLS drop-down menu, pick the date area and pick a "custom date". I searched Web pages that were put up from January 27, 2010-March 2, 2011. (Of course, this does not mean there were no useful Web pages put up after that time.) I did the limited date search to find pages that could only have included ideas and successful practices for the iPad first generation.Of course, even though the iPad first gen cannot take pictures, students can still download images and edit them using certain photo-editing apps. And there are collage apps, like CollageIt Free, that only require iOS 5.0. It takes a bit of work to find apps that will run on the older iPad, but it is not impossible. And don't forget to search for iPhone apps, which will run nicely on the iPad, too.I came across this PC World article from 2013 that states you might be presented with the ability to download an older version of an app that will work on your older iPad device. (I don't usually have an "older" device, so do not know if this is still happening.) If it is, it would allow installation of older versions of popular education iPad apps to be installed on the first generation iPad. Anyone have any additional ideas for those with the first generation iPads? Are you using one or more of this generation of iPad in your classroom and would like to share the list of creation and editing apps you have on the devices? It would be appreciated and save others a lot of App Store searching time!  Visit Kathy's Web pages: Kathy Schrock's Home Page Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything

On the iPad, Paper by Fifty Three is the app I use most often for sketchnoting. The apps feature set makes it easy to quickly sketch, change drawing tools and colors, and to "rewind" quickly to undo my mistakes. Paper includes the ability to draw perfect auto-shapes (square, rectangle, circle, triangle, diamonds, parallelograms, line segments with arrow, etc.) and with just a tap, fill-in the shape. Paper also allows the user to move any component of the sketch by just circling it and dragging the item. You can explore the capabilities of the app by viewing the FiftyThree channel of videos on Vimeo.Today, Fifty Three released the Paper app for the iPhone! For those of you that are Paper users on the iPad, you will be excited about the new features that have been included for the iPhone version! And both the iPad version and the iPhone version are free!I have an iPhone 6+ and Paper for the iPhone works great! Paper for the iPhone has the same functionality as the iPad app for drawing, sketching and moving components, but has some very useful new features! Users now have the ability to import and resize images, something I have been hoping for. And there is a Spotlight feature included to highlight a portion of the imported image if you want. Users can type text, which is very useful for adding notes to the bottom of the sketchesWith this text input, there comes a very cool way to create a to-do list. Simply type a list item and swipe right, and it adds the checkbox for the to-do item! And swiping left makes the text at the top the header for the list.Users can combine the text, drawings, and images all on a single sketch.MY SAMPLE PAPER IDEA WITH DRAWING, IMAGE, SPOTLIGHT, AND TO-DO LISTSimplicity and ease-of-use continue to be how Fifty Three develops and re-develops this app!When I use Paper, I use Pencil by FiftyThree as my drawing tool since, with its Bluetooth connection to the iPad or iPhone, with used with the Paper app it has pressure sensitivity, the ability to erase with the "eraser", a blending of colors mode, and a palm rest area. I use Pencil with all my drawing apps and you can see from this page the Pencil-ready functionalities that exist when using Pencil with apps from other companies.Here are a few company screenshots from the new Paper by Fifty Three for the iPhone...give it a try right now!  Visit Kathy's Web pages: Kathy Schrock's Home Page Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything

Microsoft  has a great new initiative for K-12 education called "Bing in the Classroom" which can help support digital literacy in schools. The program was created to do three things-- to provide a safe environment for students to learn their digital literacy skills, to offer digital literacy lesson plans for teachers, and to provide an easy way for schools to get more hardware.1. AD-FREE SEARCHTechnology directors can sign up their school district for an enhanced search option for Bing that provides an ad-free search environment for the staff and students. This option eliminates the ads that usually appear when searching. It enhances privacy protection for students and teachers and includes the ability to filter adult content via SafeSearch.2. DIGITAL LITERACY LESSON PLANSThe Bing in the Classroom program offers daily mini-lessons focused on search and digital literacy skills. These lessons include mapping to the Common Core Standards and have been created by the educators who are members of the Microsoft Educator Network. This network includes a collection of over 1500 lesson plans.The lesson plans can be narrowed down by grade level, subject, the 21st century skill set, and instructional approach. Here is a sample of a search page for one of the digital literacy lesson plans.Bing in the Classroom digital literacy lessonsEach lesson includes the learning objectives as stated in the Common Core standards, as well as an overview which contains the skills, instructional approach, Microsoft tools needed, and any required hardware. There are details to help the teacher use the lesson plan, and many lessons include an attached product, such as the Microsoft PowerPoint attached to this searching lesson. Sample digital literacy lessonThe PowerPoint presentation presented with the lesson above contains a teacher guide, slides to use with students with speaker notes, and a background slide about the lesson creator.Support material for a lesson planIn addition to these digital literacy lesson plans, Bing already has many features that make it a good choice as a district-wide search engine. Here are my favorites!Search by "calculator" in the Bing search box to get a working calculatorSearch by "unit conversion" in the Bing search box and convert almost anythingWhen searching Bing for images, students can limit the search to Creative Commons-licensed itemsAnother useful search limiter in Bing Images is to search for images that have no background3. SCHOOLS CAN EARN CREDITS FOR TABLETSThe third component of the Bing in the Classroom initiative allows those (13 years or older) who sign up for Bing Rewards, an program that allows users to earn credits while using Bing to search, to donate their credits to a school of their choice. The schools can earn free Microsoft Surface tablets through this reward program!  Take a look at Bing in the Classroom for your schools!Disclosure: This is a sponsored post to raise awareness for Bing in the Classroom.  Visit Kathy's Web pages: Kathy Schrock's Home Page Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything

Those of you that know me well know I love backpacks and technology cases! And, for some reason, I especially love technology items that are pink. I have always thought the juxtaposition of hard-core technology hardware and the color pink was interesting!When I read Speck had released two road-warrior backpacks, the MightyPack and MightyPack Plus, and they were available in a backpack that was "Zinfandel Pink/Pomegranate Pink, Polor Grey, and Glitter Pink", I wrote and requested a review copy. I received a note from the Speck rep, asking me what device models I use, and I received a (mostly) pink present in the mail yesterday!MightyPack pink backpack, 15" pink SeeThru MBP protector, 12" clear MB protector, and pink iPad 2 coverI have used Speck hardshell cases on many of my computers over the years and I have always loved them. They kept my laptops in pristine condition, even with all my traveling. And my first iPad Air slim case was a Speck case. I am a minimalist when it comes to protecting my technology devices. I like slim and lightweight protection.MIGHTYPACK BACKPACKThe MightyPack backpacks come in two models-- MightyPack ($79.95) and MightPack Plus ($99.95). The MightyPack (pictured above) is 17.9" H x 6.3" D x 11.8" W and weighs 1.8 pounds. The MightyPack Plus is a little taller and deeper at 20" H x 6.7" D x 11.8" W and weighs 2.2 pounds. The difference between the two models is that the MightyPack Plus includes a TSA check-point friendly option that allows the laptop compartment to open flat for easy screening without having to remove the laptop from the case.The other features of the two MightyPacks are similar.The MightyPack backpack includes a hard-sided compartment at the top which is lined with fur and includes a mesh pocket, too. This is an invaluable feature for holding those items that need to be protected, such as headphones, sunglasses, cameras, and phones, as well as providing easy access to these devices when the backpack is in the airplane overhead or under the seat in front of you.The front pocket is zippered on three sides, which provides easy access and includes one slip pocket, three mesh pockets (two-half width, one full-width), and a passthrough opening to the back compartment to allow for charging of devices. There is a nice padded grab handle at the top and the bottom and bottom corners are very padded to provide protection for the devices.The back compartment includes dedicated padded pockets for both a laptop (up to 15") and a tablet. There are two slots for a pen and a larger stylus, and two half-width slip pockets.The back of the MightyPack backpack is padded and has padded straps, too. One of the straps has a pocket which will fit a smaller smartphone or a snack bar. There is a small zippered pocket on one side of the MightyPack that fit my iPhone 6s+ in a slim case with some finagling. The one thing missing from the back of the MightyPack backpack, in my opinion as a road warrior, is a wide fabric strap to go over the handle on a piece of rolling luggage. I often need to have access to items in my backpack before taking off and after landing, and it would be nice to be able to "attach" it to the luggage so I can easily get to the items I need.IPAD DURAFOLIO CASEThe Speck DuraFolio cases are available for both the iPad Air and the iPad Air 2 ($59.95), as well as the iPad Mini ($49.95). This slim case (0.3" in depth) includes sleep/wake magnets in the cover as well as two ways to fold it for both typing and viewing. The front cover also fold around to the back for easy one-handed reading on the iPad. It comes in various colors, but the one I received is Fuchsia Pink and White!The bezel around the iPad is a little bit raised to protect the screen of the iPad if it is dropped on its face. In addition, the DuraFolio has met or exceeds the Military Drop Test Standard, which is a standard to determine the durability of equipment after repeated free-fall drops.Front of Speck DuraFolio iPad Air 2 caseBack of Speck DuraFolio iPad Air 2 caseSpeck DuraFolio folded for viewing at many anglesSpeck DuraFolio folded for typing SPECK SEETHRU LAPTOP PROTECTOR CASESSpeck is well-known for its SeeThru laptop protector cases. They make them for the Apple laptops. The one I received, the SeeThru MacBook Pro with Retina Display 15" ($49.95), comes in eleven color choices and clear. (The one for my 12" MacBook currently only comes in clear and onyx black.)These cases are thin, sturdy, and snap-on easily to the top and the bottom of the laptop. They allow full access to all the ports on the laptops, and the bottom part of the case has rubber feet to keep your laptop safe from sliding while using it.I have had Speck SeeThru cases for all my Mac laptops over the years. I have found that they fit nicely over a thin vinyl skin or decoration, too, if you have one of those applied to to your laptop. Since I am one that often sells my laptops, the Speck SeeThru cases keep the top and bottom of my laptop looking brand new!SPECK'S OTHER PINK STUFFI spent some time looking around Speck's website to see what else they offered in pink.There is a Crimson Red/Splash Pink Candyshell Apple Watch protector ($29.95) I could get for my Apple watch.There is a Fuchsia Pink/Cupcake Pink/Heritage Grey Mightyshell iPhone 6s Plus case  ($54.95) I could purchase for my phone.There is a Raspberry Pink/Pomodoro Red iPod Touch 6G and 5G case on sale for $12.99 I could pick that up for my iPod Touch.Speck does have pink cases for Samsung phones  and a pink Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 and Tab Pro 12.2 case ($34.99) (but I don't have either of these products).And they have a pink Fitfolio case for both the Galaxy Tab 3 7"  (see for $17.99) and 10.1" (on sale for $19.99), if you have one of those.There is also a Fitfolio Verizon Ellipsis 7 case in pink for $24.99 and one for the Ellipsis 8, too, if you have either of those devices.Pink tech cases, backpacks, and protectors are to my liking, but Speck offers great items in many colors and styles for all the newest devices, so visit their site!  Visit Kathy's Web pages: Kathy Schrock's Home Page Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything

Welcome back to the Roundup!  This past week, the annual BETT show (British Educational Training & Technology) was held in London.  In addition to all the great podcast content edreach put out over the week, they also have a nice write up from "The Floor of the BETT Show."  If you're interested, you can also visit the BETT site for more highlights from the conference. Most educators are familiar with the name Howard Gardner (the educational psychologist who developed the theory of Multiple Intelligences).  Gardner, along with Katie Davis, have recently published a new book entitled The App Generation which discusses the issue of identity in a digital world. Today, Mind/Shift shared an excellent excerpt from the book which is definitely worth a read. Free Tech for Teachers has some excellent new resources:A Great Message About Autism AwarenessListen to the Sounds of Nature All Over the WorldIn Praise of InstagramEasyclass - Free Online Course ManagementThe Most Popular Posts of the Week Audrey Watters at Hack Education has just announced the launch of a promising new educational technology site, Educating Modern Learners.  As she says, " far too often, ed-tech is positioned as a tool that will serve to merely enhance pre-existing classroom practices, to make these more efficient" instead of actually changing current practices.I'll be the first to admit, there are many times when my initial reaction to a new edtech tool is something along the lines of "Oh, this would be a great tool to help students pay more attention to a lecture," instead of, as Ms. Watters rightly suggests, using edtech to rethink and redesign our current educational paradigm.  It's definitely something that needs to change.  That being said, I'm excited  for her new site! Ray Mina at Getting Smart has an excellent new post outlining "Ways to Implement Safe Social Media for Schools."  Mina discusses how teaching students to blog, creating a class over social media, and having "virtual hallways," can help students become better digital citizens and more aware of how to safely manage their online behavior.  It's a great read and, for any school that doesn't address social media, worth considering. iLearn Technology has a new review of Timelapse, a visual timeline that is powered by Google.  Students have the option of exploring satellite imagery of cities all over the world, all the way back to 1984.  It's a great resource and check out iLearn technology for the full review. Our friends over at 2and2 have a new post entitled, "Why Educational Games and eLearning will Become Even More Prominent in 2014."  The article discusses the growing accessibility of mobile devices, the improvement of web literacy, and the ability of educational games to promote more active learning.  It's a great read with some really good, practical examples to check out. ED&ML has some excellent new resources from the week:A New Tool to Help Students Create ePortfoliosThe Comprehensive Google Drive Guide for Teachers20 Great Math Websites for Teachers & Students5 iPad Presentations Apps for Teachers & Students5 iPads for Taking Student on Virtual Field Trips And that's it for the Roundup this week!  Thanks for reading!  In closing, I'd like to leave you with two excellent timeline/infographics to choose from.  But choose wisely! The Past, Present, and Future of Education from Boundless via ET&MLSetting the Context: A Brief History of EdTech from EdElements vis Getting SmartWe've also got some new reviews up from this week, so be sure to check those out!  Thanks again and see you next week!-Mike

Welcome back!  I hate to pull you away from your curling and bobsledding, but we've got a new post!  If you didn't hear, last Wednesday was Digital Learning Day!  We had apodcast to celebrate, and over at Getting Smart they shared a great collection of tweets and ideas for getting involved.  Even though the day may have past, there are still a ton of excellent resources to bring digital learning to your classroom. There's also exciting news for all you Android/Google Play fans, which EdTech Magazine has more on, "K-12 Books Added to Google Play for Education, Along with New Devices."  This addition brings Google Play/Android up a level in the competition between iPads and other tablet devices (like the Learnpad).  They've also added more Chromebook and Android tablet choices to the mix as well. Here are a few of FT4T new resources from the week: Strategies for Getting Access to Sites that are Blocked NASA from Space to Everyday Life AirPano - 360 Degree Virtual Tours of the World 26 Videos About the Science of the Winter Olympics The Week in Review - The Olympics Edition Dr. Jackie Gerstein at User Generated Education continues her series of posts on 21st Century Skills with "The Brances of the Other 21st Century Skills."  In the post, she includes an excellent graphic showing how these skills are related and a simple summary of what each skill means/looks like.  It's a quick read, but definitely worth a look! Finding pictures that students can use without limitation (i.e. without copyright restrictions) can be a challenge, especially with many students relying on the ease of Google Images.  To that end, EduTech for Teachers has a new post on "Pics4Learning: Copyright-free Images for Education."  The site contains thousands of free pictures, all of which are approved for classroom use! Here are a few of the new resources from ET&ML: A Teacher's Guide to a Networked Classroom 6 Types of Creative Commons LIcenses for Students How to Share your iPad Screen to other Devices 4 Chrome Extensions for Note Taking 25 iPad Apps for Learning Spelling India's EdTech Review has an excellent new post which outlines "How to Connect Your Classroom to the World."  The article covers creating class blogs, video conferencing, using Twitter, creating Edmodo accounts, and utilizing Voicethread. They provide a short description on how each tool can be used to help your classroom extend outside of the traditional brick and mortar school building. One of the biggest challenges for teachers, in my opinion, is finding time for professional development and improvement. In that regard, Dr. Amy Burkman at Edudemic has a new article which asks"How Can Busy Teachers Learn Next-Gen Skills." Burkman shares some excellent ideas and resources which aim to help busy teachers develop technology skills. Good new for podcast fans, EdReach has begun hosting a new podcast from all-star educators Steve Dembo and Adam Bellow, "Untangling the Web."  I've embedded the episode below, but the podcast is all about sharing educational technology tools and making the web a little bit easier to understand.  This episode covers Twitter and how it can be used in the classroom. The Lightning Round... Getting Smart shares 5 Elements of Good Games that Can Make us Better Teachers TeachThought discusses 10 Strategies to Reach the 21st Century Reader Mind/Shift and T.H.E. Journal has 10 Tech Trends Students Say Are Changing Their Education Edutopia covers 6 BYOD Discussions Every School Should Have And that's it for the Roundup today, thanks for reading!  We'll end with a new infographic from Game Salad (which is an excellent, free game creator to try in computer class) and The Avatar Generation on the Future of Games in Education.  Have a great weekend! Courtesy of: Game Salad

Welcome back!  I hope everyone had a happy Valentine's / Love and Friendship Day yesterday!  Today we begin the Roundup with a new post from Dave Guymon at Getting Smart on "The 5 Steps of Effective Technology Integration."  Guymon does an excellent job simplifying and explaining the process that teachers and schools should go through when attempting to integrating new tech into the classroom. Lisa Nielsen at The Innovative Educator has an excellent post on students and social media entitled, "Another Reason Responsible Social Media Use Must be Taught to Students AND Adults."  Nielsen writes about a recent example of the positive influence social media can have, and ends by asking if educators and parents are confident that we have prepared our students to behave safely and responsibly online. Here are a few of the great new resources from FT4T:OpenEd Releases an App for Finding Ed ResourcesThe Science of Nervousness & Stage FrightHemingway Helps you Analyze Your WritingThe 2014 Google Science Fair is OpenThe Week in Review - Most Popular Posts Lately, there has been a lot of talk on Connected Learning, its importance in the classroom, and its relation to educational technology.  If you want a good introduction to the idea of Connected Learning, Katie Lepi's new post at Edudemic is a great place to start, "What is Connected Learning?" iLearn Technology has a new review of "EDpuzzle: Like Video in the Classroom 2.0."  EDpuzzle lets teachers edit, crop, add notes, or insert voice overs to videos.  Plus, you can embed your own questions within the videos as well.  It's a great tool (similar to Zaption and EduCanon) and worth checking out! Here is a sampling of ET&ML's posts from the week:10 Resources to Find Educational Apps for Class6 iPad Apps for Teaching Vocab to Young Learners10 iPad Apps to Foster a Kid's Creativity10 Web Tools for Creating Online Quizzes & Polls8 Essential Elements of Project Based Learning Up next, Katrina Schwartz at Mind/Shift asks, "If Robots Will Run the World, What Should Students Learn?"  It's an absolutely wonderful article that discusses the future of education, the importance of creativity and metacognition, and how educators can help in this process, especially by making education more of a collaborative process.  Definitely worth reading. For all you augmented reality fans, Drew Minock over at Two Guys and Some iPads has an excellent new review, "Zientia: Changing the Way We Learn with Augmented Reality."  Zientia is designed to be used with chemistry, geometry, and anatomy, and you can check out Minock's review for all the details, photos, and videos of the app in action. As always, EdReach has a great collection of podcasts:EdAdmin: Tech Integration Models & School LeadershipTeacher Tech Talk: You TechKnow How to MineCraft?Chalkstar to Rockstar: Student ActivismEducelerate: Emerging Trends in PDEduWin Weekly: So Much STEM! Finally, for anyone who is in a generous mood today (or just likes learning about new edtech that is in development) I wanted to share an exciting new Kickstarter from former teacher Daniel Fountenberry entitled "Books that Grow."  It's an excellent project that looks to create digital books that can adapt to students' learning levels.  You can check out the Kickstarter or home page for more information. The Lightning Round... Edudemic shares 6 Ways to Tell if You're Addicted to #EdTechEdudemic also covers 4 Ways Teachers can Encourage Online InteractionTeach Thought gives us 10 Tips for Teachers to Connect with Parents via Social Media And that's it for the Roundup this week!  Thanks for sharing and I hope you have a great weekend!-Mike

Welcome back!  And for those participating, I hope you're having a wonderful Carnaval weekend!  Down here in Barranquilla, the city has descended into the madness of celebration!  We start this week's roundup at Getting Smart with a new post entitled, "How Digital Learning is Boosting Achievement."  The article is an excellent collection of research, case studies, and information about digital learning around the states! Learning technologist, Dom Norrish has an excellent new post, "Considering the Best Way Forward for 1-to-1 Projects in 2014."  He begins by discussing the benefits of tablets and 1:1 devices in the classroom and then goes on to cover the challenges and downsides.  It's a great read and worth considering, especially if your district is heading that direction. Here are a few of the great new resources from FT4T:Google Video and Maps in CCSS Aligned LessonsMachines & Systems Explained with 3D AnimationsCreate Public Courses on OpenEdYou Can Build Your Own Search EngineThe Week and Month in Review Next up, Ricky Ribeiro at EdTech Magazine has a new post on "The BYOD Questions Your School Should be Asking."  If your school or district is preparing for a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) environment, Ribeiro lays out exactly what you should consider before moving forward.  The post is short and simple, and the questions cover the technology and IT side of BYOD implementation. Dr. Jackie Gerstein at User Generated Education has a new article on using "SAMR as a Framework for Moving Towards Education 3.0."  For those unfamiliar, here's a little background on the SAMR model.  In the post, Dr. Gerstein outlines the idea of Education 3.0, discusses how the SAMR can be used in our current system, and includes as wonderful infographic that ties everything together. Here are some of the top posts from ET&ML this week:Grow Professionally w/ Over 800 Free Online Courses5 Great Tools for Publishing Students Works40 iPad Apps for Reading Disabilities12 Ways to Leverage Google Drive in the ClassroomAdding Voice Comments to Google Docs Next up, Elizabeth Blair at Mind/Shift takes "A Look into Teenagers' Complicated Online Lives." The article examines the research of danah boyd (a senior researcher at Microsoft and the author of It's Complicated) which focuses on how students navigate social networks and the effect these networks have on their lives, relationships, and pysches.   Here are a few of EdReach's great podcasts from the week:Chalkstar to Rockstar: Taking Control of LearningFlipped Learning: Solving the Video PuzzleThe Two Guys Schow: Cool Cat Teacher Vicki DavisEduWin Weekly: Students Enter the Shark TankUntangling the Web: Twitter Attack! The Lightning Round... Edudemic shares 7 Things to Know Before Using Open Educational ResourcesEdudemic also covers the 6 Education Technology Trends You Should Know AboutTeach Thought discusses the 11 Underlying Assumptions of Digital Literacy Finally, FluidReview (a company that specializes in cloud-based scholarship management software) has released an inforgraphic on the topic of scholarships in America.  It explores where they come from, and who is getting them, and you can view it online here.  Thanks for reading everyone and we'll see you next week!-Mike

Welcome back!  And to everyone who was lucky enough to attend SXSWedu, you have my jealousy!  We begin this week with an article from Liana Heitin at Education Week, "Computer Science: Not Just an Elective Anymore."  Heitin discusses the growing push for computer science in the classroom, the support that the subject is beginning to receive across the states, and the obstacles that are still ahead. Next up, Katie Lepi at Edudemic has a new post which asks, "How Has Technology Changed Younger Students?"  The article includes an excellent infographic and discusses the growing prevalence of devices in schools as well as the potential value of utilizing these devices. Here are a few of the great resources from FT4T this week: QuizBean Opens a Quiz Bank for Sharing Quizzes A Crash Course on Hamlet Take a 3D Tour of the Universe in your Browser Ten Good Online Tools for Creating MInd Maps Most Popular Posts of the Week Next up, Kristen Hicks at Getting Smart discusses "3 Methods to Strenghten Students' Social Media Skills."  Hicks covers the importance of social media not only in the education setting but in the job market as well.  She outlines three excellent reasons why students (and teachers) should focus on social media skills and provides tons of excellent examples for support and further reading. Over at Edutopoia, Andrew Marcinek has an excellent new article entitled"Technology and Teaching: Finding a Balance."  In the post, Marcinek asks "How do educators find an ideal balance for learning about and eventually integrating technology?"  He goes on to outline 3 examples of balanced technology integration and discuss the educational opportunities that this type of integration offers. ET&ML has some excellent new resources from this week: 5 Web Tools to Create Academic Digital Portfolios Visual on How Teahcers & Students See Social Media 5 Guides on Social Media Use for Parents and Teachers Three Tools to Check for Plagiarism in Student work Dom Norrish is back with his second post on "Considering the Best Way Forward for 1-1 Projects in 2014."  Norrish opens by discussing the benefits of tablets and laptops in the classroom, and then introducing the idea of creating a "mixed-estate" 1:1 project.  Definitely a great read, especially for districts that are trying to create 1:1 environments. EdReach, as always, has an excellent collection of podcasts: The Two Guys Show: Authors' Panel Ladygeeks: Lisa Thumann & #NYNJGS14 Ed Admin: Moves that Invite Classroom Conversations 4 Habits of Teachers that Just Have "It" Google Educast: Google Edu at SXSWedu Finally, The Guardian, in tandem with Open University, has released an interactive infographic entitled "From Lecture Halls to Laptops: How do We Like to Learn?"  To create the visual, they surveyed 2000 adults in the UK and asked about their higher education experiences and attitudes towards classes and learning online.   The Lightning Round... Edudemic discusses 4 Popular Classroom Creation Tools (And Why They Matter) Getting Smart gives us5 Reasons a Software Subscription May Beat a Content Purchase Teach Thought covers 63 Things Every Student Should Know in a Digital World And that's it for the Roundup this week!  Thanks for tuning in!  And, for those interested in graduate school, we'll close with a new infographic from Grad School Hub on the numbers, figures, and facts on pretty much everything you could ever want to know!  See you next time! Courtesy of: Grad School Hub