Teaching with Technology

Using educational technology to enhance the learning environment and increase student engagement!

Chromebooks in the Classroom

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Why Chromebooks?

Chromebooks have become extremely popular in the world of education because of their ease of access and affordability.  “Google” schools that utilize Chromebooks provide students with a gmail account (which also comes with Google Drive!) and a chromebook. There are MANY Chromebook models from which to choose, ranging from about $279 through $429. At first, the cost of providing every student in a building with a Chromebook may be slightly terrifying. However, when one considers the amount of money spent on textbooks per student (using Chromebooks can eliminate the need for traditional textbooks), paper and printing costs (going 1:1 with Chromebooks can create a cloud-based classroom with no need for printing), the Chromebooks really are an effective tool for students and teachers alike.

As I’ve said before, my building will become a 1:1 learning environment next year, and we have chosen to go the Chromebook route. If you’ve read my post about iPads as instructional tools, you will surely see that I am an iPad freak! When we originally discussed a 1:1 initiative, I was a huge advocate for providing students with iPads. However, when you look at the huge price (Apple doesn’t offer much of an education discount), the lack of keyboard, and the fact that many web programs don’t run the same on an iPad app as they would in a typical setting, I jumped on the Chromebooks for students bandwagon! (I will still most definitely use my iPad as an instructional tool in my classroom!)
lenovo x131e chromebook vs ipad infographic [Infographic] Best in Class: ThinkPad X131e Chromebook vs Apple iPad
We have decided to purchase the Lenovo Thinkpad X131e Chromebook model for our teachers next year. At first glance, the Lenovo is the most expensive (and least visually appealing) Chromebook model, so why are we going this route? Simple. The Lenovo model has a VGA port that will allow our teachers to connect their projector with the Chromebook. Even though we will be tethered to our desk, at least we will be able to project from our Chromebooks and interact with our students. (Teachers could also interact with their students from their desktop using Google apps if the Lenovo isn’t an option)
Our students will each be receiving the Samsung Chromebook which is priced at $279. We feel like this is the best purchase for us because the device is light, boots up in 8 seconds, and the battery is somewhat easy to replace…and, of course, it is priced right!
We will be scanning our textbooks into Google Drive, chapter by chapter. Teachers will then be able to “share” the chapters with our students, making traditional heavy, bulky textbooks obsolete. 
These links provide awesome information about using Chromebooks in the classroom!
Teachers are also encouraged to compile outside resources to supplement our textbooks. We are encouraging teachers to incorporate literacy as much as possible into our curriculum, to prepare our students for the new ACT requirement in our state. Beginning with the 2014-2015 school year, students will not be required to take AS many End of Course exams (EOCs). However, every junior will be required to take the ACT, which now incorporates reading, reading comprehension, and textual analysis into all of the components!

On a side note…the site below has awesome information about incorporating literacy into the classroom!


Literacy Design Collaborative

The video below provides excellent information about using Google Chromebooks to “flip” your classroom.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqIRsIwbjNk]

Chromebooks in the News

How to Use 1 iPad in the Classroom

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In my classroom, I am fortunate enough to have an iPad (purchased for me by my school!) that I can use for instruction. Some will ask why I use my iPad. Why don’t I just lecture from a power point and write on my chalkboard? My answer is….using my iPad as an instructional tool increases student engagement, allows me to be extremely mobile in my classroom, AND the content apps and access to the Internet provided by my iPad are AMAZING!

Here are some examples of how I use my iPad in the classroom…
Amazing Instructional Tool!
Students who are normally not engaged in content topic actually get excited about content delivery through the iPad, or “the pad” as we refer to it in my classroom!  I use an Apple TV to wirelessly mirror my iPad on my whiteboard, through my projector. I use the following apps most to aid in my content delivery:
Keynote
-This app allows teachers to create presentations for lecture or other instructional activities.
-Include images, links to outside websites and additional sources
Prezi
-The iPad app has limited capabilities with creating the prezi, however presenting the prezi via the app works extremely well
-Teachers can create and edit prezis via www.prezi.com and present using the iPad app


Educreations
-Educreations turns my iPad into a mobile whiteboard!
-This app allows teachers to import photos from their Camera Roll or Photo Stream, take pictures using the app, or surf the web for images. Once the images are selected, users can change the size of the image and write on the image! Awesome!
-This app also allows teachers to record their voice, save their lesson, and search for relevant lessons

Mobility!

We have recently implemented a BYOD (bring your own device) policy in my building. Many of my students bring smartphones, tablets, or other electronic devices to use in my class. I allow students to take notes and research on their electronic devices, and encourage them to interact on our class edmodo page via their electronic device. I NEED TO BE MOBILE IN MY CLASSROOM! Next year, my school is beginning our 1:1 initiative, and will provide every student with a google chromebook. I NEED TO BE MOBILE IN MY CLASSROOM!
Using my iPad allows me to provide direct instructions for my students while monitoring my students use of their electronic devices. This helps curb the students’ desire to text, get on Facebook or social networking sites, or do anything unrelated to the lesson. (This CURBS, but does not eliminate the problem!)Access to Up-to-the-Minute Information!
To me, especially in my social studies classroom, this is an invaluable asset of using iPads as instructional tool. I love being able to link to youtube videos, primary sources, interactive websites, and countless other Internet resources.

The apps available for the iPad are absolutely amazing. My students love using Google Earth to search for places we are studying. The “street view” capability on the Google Earth app is awesome in that it provides the students with an actual view of the area we are researching. If you search for the White House, street view allows you to go inside certain rooms in the White House! How awesome is that?!

Using my

For content specific information, I love to use MyCongress, which allows students to learn more information about their Congressmen…the app has a link to Twitter feeds and YouTube channels for each Congressman. It also lists recent articles that relate to the Congressman.

More to come soon about AWESOME apps in the classroom!

Thanks for reading 🙂

 

EDMODO!

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Learning Management Systems…why should we use them?

 
In my undergraduate and graduate degree programs, I was able to complete many courses in an online environment. These courses were great for me, because I was able to manage my time well, and complete assignments and activities virtually at my own pace. Like many others, I juggled a full time teaching career and family with my graduate studies, making online learning appealing and appropriate for me. 
 
As I began searching for ways to incorporate a blended learning environment into my classroom environment, which consists of 30 student desks and a teacher computer on my desk, I thought back to my favorite aspects of my online learning experience…
  1. Submitting assignments and projects online
    • No printing! No ink!
    • No papers to lose!
    • Save a tree! 🙂
  2. “Forum” or “Discussion Board” posts about readings
    • In an online environment, students and teachers obviously have no face-to-face interaction in which to discuss questions or comments about assigned readings
    • In order to hold students accountable for their assigned readings, teachers post a broad question relating to the reading and establish procedures for posting (length of response, appropriate responses, etc)
    • Many teachers also require students to comment on their classmate’s posts to simulate classroom interaction and to encourage students to dive deeper into the content.
  3. Collaboration
    • Students can work collaboratively on assignments and discussions without being in the same room
With these three indicators in mind, I began the search for the right Learning Management System (LMS) for me and my students.
 
I researched Blackboard (which was used in my graduate programs), Moodle (used by surrounding school districts), and edmodo (which caught my interest because it so closely resembles Facebook).
 
Finally, I decided to begin using edmodo.
 
LMS technology was barely used at the time (3 years ago) in my building, so it took a while for my students to realize that this technology would be used (and used often) in my classroom.

Fast forward to today…I currently teach dual credit College American History and American Political Systems, as well as a “regular” Government class. I use edmodo in all of these classes, and students have responded extremely well.

 
How do I use edmodo?
 
In my dual credit classes, students access course related information through edmodo that contain everything from their course syllabus, to youtube videos, to assignments, quizzes and exams. Students frequently “actively analyze” a primary source, watch a video, or listen to a lecture, and then respond to a broad question on edmodo (similar to #2 listed above). The students are provided with my expectations for their discussion board posts (what we call our edmodo posts) at the beginning of the unit…these instructions include how many sentences I expect in their response, as well as reminders about using academic language and not using profanity, slang, or derogatory language. After their original post, students must comment on at least one other students’ post, adhering to the same requirements as their original post.
 
Students also collaborate with one another using edmodo. Through edmodo, teachers can create groups, place students in those groups, and assign readings or other activities to students in those groups. I like to use these small groups in a form of a jigsaw activity, in which each group is responsible for a certain task (reading about a specific landmark case, analyzing a specific section of the Federalist Papers, etc) and reporting back to the class. I find the cooperative learning environment, coupled with the amazing educational technology that is edmodo, enhance my students’ learning exponentially. Educators know that sometimes, the way we explain information just doesn’t sink in with students. Allowing students to work together on a task, allows them to gain a deeper and more complete knowledge of the content, which is great!
 
The paperless learning environment that teachers can create by using a LMS is extremely beneficial to everyone. Students do not have to worry about losing a specific assignment, teachers do not have to carry around stacks of paper to grade, and school districts can trim down their printing budget!
 
Allowing students to take quizzes and tests on edmodo is helpful as well. When assigning multiple choice tests, teachers simply type the question and the responses, choose the correct response, and voila! The students submit the assessment and receive their grade…IMMEDIATELY! The time teachers spend grading assignments and drastically reduced! Hooray!
 
And….many of our students today will learn in a blended, if not totally online, environment in their educational future. Why not expose them to this learning environment now?
 

Flipping the Classroom

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How will technology change the way we teach?

In my high school classes, I sat in an uncomfortable desk surrounded by approximately 24 students and one teacher for about 90 minutes (block scheduling school). In some instances, my teacher addressed the class for the 90 minute period while the students frantically copied down notes from the board, overhead projector, or simply from the teacher’s lecture. This continued for many days. At the end of this experience, students were given a study guide (if we were lucky!), expected to complete the study guide, and then perform well on a test. 


I’m sure this scenario is typical for many of us. However, the technology available to us as educators today is so vastly different than in the past. 

So, why are we teaching the same way?

Numerous studies have been completed that compare the United States’ test scores to other developed countries, and we lag behind. Clearly, how we educate our students isn’t working.

The concept of flipped learning has always been extremely interesting to me. My main question has always focused around how I would implement this model. 

I’ve been googling and Pinteresting 🙂 flipped learning, and the pros and cons of this model. The following websites extremely useful and have amazing ideas about implementing this model into your classroom. Happy reading!!


The youtube video gives a concise view of the flipped classroom, how it looks in action, and how students can benefit from this model. 

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a7NbUIr_iQ]

The next video also demonstrates the benefits of flipping the classroom

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0kqo2VIVM0]

Teaching in a Technology-Rich Environment

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Next year, our building will become a 1:1 learning environment, which is incredibly exciting and overwhelming. The 1:1 learning environment is a term constantly circulating in the world of education, and the shift this movement will create in education is a little unsettling. Our students will be able to access information at the push of a button, which will cause the role of the teacher to drastically change. We will no longer be considered the “gatekeepers of knowledge” and will shift more to a facilitator of knowledge, a change that will be difficult for many to grasp. In an effort to learn as much as possible about 1:1 technology learning environments, I’ve been reading articles, books, and doing an insane amount of Pinteresting 🙂 These are a few websites I’ve found extremely helpful for EFFECTIVELY adopting the 1:1 model, and actively embracing the wealth of information available at our students’ fingertips.