All good things must come to an end...
In today's society, being web savvy is very important. How do I find the most useful information quickly? How do I type a phrase into the search engine just right so that it will give me what I want?
Everyone uses Google, but how many people use Google to its greatest strengths? Did everyone know that if one wants to search bass competitions but wants to avoid anything to do with the bass fish, one can simply type "bass competition -fish -fishing" into the search bar and Google will omit any search result to do with the bass fish? Or what if one wishes to search Abraham Lincoln but only within Britannica.com? Simply type "Abraham Lincoln site:britannica.com" and Google will only search that particular website for anything to do with Abraham Lincoln. What a way to narrow a search. Google can do this and many more important, time-saving things. Click here for more information.
One not-so-well-known search engine is Wolfram/Alpha. Want to know how to spell Wolfram in Morse Code? Click on "Words & Linguistics", and then scroll down to the Morse Code option. Type in "Wolfram", and there's the answer. If one clicks on "Everyday Life", one can get the local weather forecast, find the punchlines to new jokes, or find the price of gasoline in any American city. Wolfram/Alpha can do these things and so much more. The only down side to the search engine is it costs money if one wants entire access.
I have learned about all kinds of fascinating and useful tools throughout the last seven weeks. I learned how to use the snippet tool on my laptop, how to sign up for a Google account, how to use Adobe Spark, how to build a course in Schoology, how to facilitate discussion with Flipgrid, and so much more.
I have become a more connected educator.
Saturday, June 23, 2018
Sunday, June 17, 2018
Welcome to the Machine
The prevalent use of social media in our society is a debate that could fill thousands of tweets. Is social media helping society, hurting society, or doing a little of both? More importantly, should educators use social media in the classroom? If so, how?
As David Gilmour once belted, "Welcome to the machine".
If you are an educator and thinking about using social media in your classroom, there are several things to consider. To get an overview, please visit my Adobe Spark Video.
If you're all in on entering the "machine" (our social media-obsessed society), here are a few suggestions for your classroom:
1. Symbaloo is a social media website that allows users to create "webmixes", which are groups of websites, videos, and/or educational resources. When one creates a webmix, these items are grouped together on one page. Instead of visiting twenty different websites, include them all in your webmix and have them in one spot. This is a form of social bookmarking and helps with organization. Here's an example of a symbaloo.
2. Another example of good and educational social media use is Padlet. Padlet allows users to create storyboards, webpages, and documents that others can add to. For example, if an educator wants to put an entire mini-unit on a padlet and then allow students to answer questions on the padlet, it is possible. Here's an example of a padlet over Yellow Journalism.
3. There are other examples of effective social media use in the classroom, such as Twitter, Schoology, and ClassDojo.
Social media can be a foreign, scary thing for some educators to dive into. If you're having reservations, don't worry, I had (and still have) my own hesitations. However, the machine keeps on turning, and social media (and technology in general) is now the lay of the land. If you want to teach in a relevant way, social media is a good avenue to travel down. Don't get left behind.
...and as Pink Floyd once said, "Welcome to the Machine..."
As David Gilmour once belted, "Welcome to the machine".
If you are an educator and thinking about using social media in your classroom, there are several things to consider. To get an overview, please visit my Adobe Spark Video.
If you're all in on entering the "machine" (our social media-obsessed society), here are a few suggestions for your classroom:
1. Symbaloo is a social media website that allows users to create "webmixes", which are groups of websites, videos, and/or educational resources. When one creates a webmix, these items are grouped together on one page. Instead of visiting twenty different websites, include them all in your webmix and have them in one spot. This is a form of social bookmarking and helps with organization. Here's an example of a symbaloo.
2. Another example of good and educational social media use is Padlet. Padlet allows users to create storyboards, webpages, and documents that others can add to. For example, if an educator wants to put an entire mini-unit on a padlet and then allow students to answer questions on the padlet, it is possible. Here's an example of a padlet over Yellow Journalism.
3. There are other examples of effective social media use in the classroom, such as Twitter, Schoology, and ClassDojo.
Social media can be a foreign, scary thing for some educators to dive into. If you're having reservations, don't worry, I had (and still have) my own hesitations. However, the machine keeps on turning, and social media (and technology in general) is now the lay of the land. If you want to teach in a relevant way, social media is a good avenue to travel down. Don't get left behind.
...and as Pink Floyd once said, "Welcome to the Machine..."
Sunday, June 10, 2018
Organization & Time Saving
Although the world is becoming more convenient than ever, people still find themselves short on time. As an educator, time is valuable. To save time, one must be organized. How can one strive for both?
Flippity is an interesting time-saving website that allows the user to cultivate templates into flashcards, quiz shows, and other neat things. Do you want your class to study as a group for the upcoming test? Use the quiz show template and create your own Jeopardy-like study game. This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this tool, and it saves educators precious hours of attempting to create their own templates.
As educators, we all know that lesson planning is one of the most time-consuming parts of the job. Websites that help with lesson planning are not only time-saving but idea-inducing. Websites such as Smart Exchange, Better Lesson, and Common Core Sheets all strive to help teachers with lesson plan ideas. Take a lesson plan directly from the website or use the lesson plans to come up with your own ideas.
But why stop there?
Do you want to update parents on their child's behavior in real-time? Do you want to keep your students' attendance organized or award digital rewards for good behavior? Do you want to send classroom pictures out to the parents? Use ClassDojo.
What if you have to miss work, but you still want to cover a topic? Use Screencast-O-Matic.
Finally, what if you have some money to spare (don't all educators) and you want an organized way to keep track of attendance, lesson plans, and how your curriculum connects to the state standards? Look no further than Planbook.
More on these tools can be found on my Adobe Sparks page by clicking here.
The world is moving faster and faster, and we as educators must keep up. The only way to do that is to stay organized and save time. Of course, finding out how to save time can take time, but once one gets there, the going gets much smoother.
Flippity is an interesting time-saving website that allows the user to cultivate templates into flashcards, quiz shows, and other neat things. Do you want your class to study as a group for the upcoming test? Use the quiz show template and create your own Jeopardy-like study game. This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this tool, and it saves educators precious hours of attempting to create their own templates.
As educators, we all know that lesson planning is one of the most time-consuming parts of the job. Websites that help with lesson planning are not only time-saving but idea-inducing. Websites such as Smart Exchange, Better Lesson, and Common Core Sheets all strive to help teachers with lesson plan ideas. Take a lesson plan directly from the website or use the lesson plans to come up with your own ideas.
But why stop there?
Do you want to update parents on their child's behavior in real-time? Do you want to keep your students' attendance organized or award digital rewards for good behavior? Do you want to send classroom pictures out to the parents? Use ClassDojo.
What if you have to miss work, but you still want to cover a topic? Use Screencast-O-Matic.
Finally, what if you have some money to spare (don't all educators) and you want an organized way to keep track of attendance, lesson plans, and how your curriculum connects to the state standards? Look no further than Planbook.
More on these tools can be found on my Adobe Sparks page by clicking here.
The world is moving faster and faster, and we as educators must keep up. The only way to do that is to stay organized and save time. Of course, finding out how to save time can take time, but once one gets there, the going gets much smoother.
Sunday, June 3, 2018
Google Runs the World
Okay, so maybe Google isn't the real-world version of Skynet, but it's pretty amazing. Through Google, an educator has dozens of tools at his or her fingertips.
Google Forms allows the user to collect and organize information through tailor-made surveys, invitations, sign-up sheets, and much more. If an educator wanted to know exactly what his or her students retained from the class, for example, said educator could create a Google Forms survey so that the students could answer anonymously and, as a result, truthfully.
Here is an example of a survey using Google Forms: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1e8EH1dkmB3hIDcc2PlhLYJiH-W5HfoSuTmhUsrgQ-uk/edit
Twitter Curator allows educators to gather tweets about current events and share them in the classroom. Want to discuss the upcoming summit between the United States and North Korea? See what politicians, including our tweet-crazed president, think about the topic, collect them into a document, and share them with your students.
Finally, Revision History is a simple yet very useful feature of Google Drive. You're typing a paper, and the recent revisions you have made are not working for you anymore. If you're typing the document in Google, it's no problem. Simply open the document, click "File", click "Version History", and then click "See Version History". This allows one to edit earlier versions of a document. Sometimes the simplest tools are the best. Click HERE for more information on Google Revision History.
Get connected. Be connected. Stay connected. Unlike Skynet, Google won't develop a mind of its own and focus its intention on the annihilation of the human race (we hope, at least), but it is an effective way to get access to tools that make educating enjoyable and relevant.
Sunday, May 27, 2018
Edmodo vs. Schoology
There are tons of resources online that allow educators to place materials in one network and connect with other educators. I'm going to discuss two today: Edmodo and Schoology.
Edmodo is an educational website that takes the ideas of social media and transfers them to a classroom-appropriate apparatus. When running a class through Edmodo, the system allows an educator to create and manage classes, offer students merit badges, and connect with other educators. A cool feature titled Edmodo Spotlight allows educators access to all kinds of free resources for any curriculum imaginable.
Schoology is similar to Edmodo in that it is an educational website that serves as a learning management system, allowing educators to manage online classrooms. Schoology allows the same concepts as Edmodo: assignments, grades, and connection through messaging. The layout is similar to Facebook's, so most people will already be familiar with it.
Edmodo is an educational website that takes the ideas of social media and transfers them to a classroom-appropriate apparatus. When running a class through Edmodo, the system allows an educator to create and manage classes, offer students merit badges, and connect with other educators. A cool feature titled Edmodo Spotlight allows educators access to all kinds of free resources for any curriculum imaginable.
Schoology is similar to Edmodo in that it is an educational website that serves as a learning management system, allowing educators to manage online classrooms. Schoology allows the same concepts as Edmodo: assignments, grades, and connection through messaging. The layout is similar to Facebook's, so most people will already be familiar with it.
After giving both a try, I was more impressed with Schoology. I like the layout more; it seems more organized than Edmodo's. Also, I enjoyed creating a course over the Civil War in Schoology. When one creates a course in Schoology for students to participate in, one has all kinds of add-on options, including discussion questions, tests, quizzes, media albums, and more. Online classes are the education of the future, so it's important for high school students to be exposed to this kind of twenty-first century learning. If an educator is looking for a change of pace and to expose his or her students to the future of education, Schoology (and Edmodo) are great tools to cultivate.
Sunday, May 20, 2018
Add Diigo & Twitter to Your PLN
A PLN, or a Personal Learning Network, is made up of who you get ideas from, what you look at, and how you network.
Two fantastic tools to add to your Personal Learning Network are Twitter and Diigo.
Diigo is a tool that allows you to consolidate all of the information you find on websites into one easy-to-use instrument. For example, if I visit the CNN website on a regular basis and like collecting articles, I can add them to my Diigo account by bookmarking the article. Once added to Diigo, I can make notes on the article as I wish. I can also use a highlighting function, which allows you to highlight certain portions of the article using color coordination.
Diigo is a wonderful way to consolidate information. To educate effectively, an educator must always be learning, but our busy schedules demand that we weed out the deadwood. With Diigo, an educator can do just that and narrow information down to the useful and important.
Twitter is another perfect way for educators to add to their Personal Learning Network. While Diigo allows you to consolidate information, Twitter may be more useful for connections. By using Twitter, you can follow other educators, education groups, and other groups that may be of importance to your classroom. Want tips on how to teach multiplication tables effectively? Use Twitter's Education Chats, which allows Twitter users to enter chatrooms and discuss certain topics. Users can connect with other educators all over the nation.
Below, Alec Couros explains how to use Twitter effectively in education.
Two fantastic tools to add to your Personal Learning Network are Twitter and Diigo.
Diigo is a tool that allows you to consolidate all of the information you find on websites into one easy-to-use instrument. For example, if I visit the CNN website on a regular basis and like collecting articles, I can add them to my Diigo account by bookmarking the article. Once added to Diigo, I can make notes on the article as I wish. I can also use a highlighting function, which allows you to highlight certain portions of the article using color coordination.
Diigo is a wonderful way to consolidate information. To educate effectively, an educator must always be learning, but our busy schedules demand that we weed out the deadwood. With Diigo, an educator can do just that and narrow information down to the useful and important.
Twitter is another perfect way for educators to add to their Personal Learning Network. While Diigo allows you to consolidate information, Twitter may be more useful for connections. By using Twitter, you can follow other educators, education groups, and other groups that may be of importance to your classroom. Want tips on how to teach multiplication tables effectively? Use Twitter's Education Chats, which allows Twitter users to enter chatrooms and discuss certain topics. Users can connect with other educators all over the nation.
Below, Alec Couros explains how to use Twitter effectively in education.
With so much information at an educator's fingertips, there's no reason not to be connected.
Sunday, May 13, 2018
Adobe Sparks Feeds(ly) My Need for Blogging
If you don't like varied modes of information coming at you from all directions, you're not too fond of the high-tech, up-to-the-second world we live in.
And I understand. I'm one of those people, in fact. I like my information neatly wrapped in a bow, focused, and singular. I like to focus on one mode of information at a time. Want me to learn about Charles Dickens? Sure! I love Charles Dickens. I'll read A Tale of Two Cities by a fireplace any day of the week. However, while I'm reading A Tale of Two Cities, I don't want to be bombarded with Hard Times or Great Expectations at the same time. I'll relax to Pink Floyd's Have A Cigar because it's one of the greatest songs ever written, but I'm not sure how Have A Cigar would sound with Shine On You Crazy Diamond and Money playing simultaneously in the background. Too much information! I. Don't. Like. It.
However, there is now a way to organize information so that, as I mentioned above, it's wrapped in a neat, blue (or whatever color you prefer) bow. Feedly is an effective way to keep said information concise and organized. Feedly allows users to gather all preferred blogs into one space, saving the time it takes to visit each website separately. I highly suggest Feedly because it's convenient (isn't that what the human race loves the most?) and accessible. It's the McDonald's of the blog world.
How many of you are creative types? With the written word, I could say I am. With visuals - no way. When it comes to pleasing the eye, I'm as creative as the color (or non-color) black. I absorb it all and reflect nothing back. That's why when I was asked to fool around with Adobe Spark, I was highly concerned. Me? The black non-color of the visual world? Attempt to be creative? I'll try my best. And what I feared would happened, happened - my classmate's posts were all more creative than my own. I'm the kid in the corner drawing stick figures while everyone else creates kaleidoscopic collages. But, hey, I'll continue to practice and get better at it because it could be a great tool to use in the classroom. If you're interested, view the video below for more details:
And I understand. I'm one of those people, in fact. I like my information neatly wrapped in a bow, focused, and singular. I like to focus on one mode of information at a time. Want me to learn about Charles Dickens? Sure! I love Charles Dickens. I'll read A Tale of Two Cities by a fireplace any day of the week. However, while I'm reading A Tale of Two Cities, I don't want to be bombarded with Hard Times or Great Expectations at the same time. I'll relax to Pink Floyd's Have A Cigar because it's one of the greatest songs ever written, but I'm not sure how Have A Cigar would sound with Shine On You Crazy Diamond and Money playing simultaneously in the background. Too much information! I. Don't. Like. It.
However, there is now a way to organize information so that, as I mentioned above, it's wrapped in a neat, blue (or whatever color you prefer) bow. Feedly is an effective way to keep said information concise and organized. Feedly allows users to gather all preferred blogs into one space, saving the time it takes to visit each website separately. I highly suggest Feedly because it's convenient (isn't that what the human race loves the most?) and accessible. It's the McDonald's of the blog world.
How many of you are creative types? With the written word, I could say I am. With visuals - no way. When it comes to pleasing the eye, I'm as creative as the color (or non-color) black. I absorb it all and reflect nothing back. That's why when I was asked to fool around with Adobe Spark, I was highly concerned. Me? The black non-color of the visual world? Attempt to be creative? I'll try my best. And what I feared would happened, happened - my classmate's posts were all more creative than my own. I'm the kid in the corner drawing stick figures while everyone else creates kaleidoscopic collages. But, hey, I'll continue to practice and get better at it because it could be a great tool to use in the classroom. If you're interested, view the video below for more details:
Remember when I mentioned Feedly? Feedly is extremely convenient when organizing your favorite blogs. That statement is a segue into my next point - educational blogs. As educators, we always need more ideas, more methods, and more outlooks. Reading educational blogs can give us all of that. Below are links to three educational blogs:
I'm not a technology guy, but I will sure become one before this class is over! I can't wait to see what's around the bend.
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