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As we enter into 2015, I thought I would quickly reflect on my favorite technology tools and resources of 2014. My rubric for selecting these tools was chosen using 2 criterion: 1. Which tools do I find myself using, day in... and day out in my role as a Technology Integrator. 2. Which tools do the teachers I work with get really excited about. Well some are old, some are new, but these are my top 5.
1. Padlet- This is an amazing tool for presentations and heck just a way to bring a group of websites, documents or pictures together. 2. Symbaloo -Excellent place for curating websites 3. Twitter- A place to get thought provoking commentary and amazing resources 4. Pinterest- It took me a long time to see the value in this one but am genuinely enjoying the interface and picture perfect curation. 5. Microsoft's One Note, Sway, and Mix. Yes Microsoft is back in the educational game with these programs and is working on making them cost effective and social for the personal user. My Top 10 Blogs/ Educational Websites: ( In no particular order. They're all amazing) 1. Free Tech 4 Teachers- Richard Byrne is always on top of his game with this site 2. Technology Tidbits- if its recommended here... its GOOD 3. Larry Ferlazzo's Best of's- Busy busy site but tons of great stuff 4. Zhaolearning.com- Great mind, incredible insights. Please pay attention to this work! 5. Innovative Edu- Thoughtful and engaging, Lisa Nielson is a powerful advocate for quality teaching and learning. 6. Shakeup Learning- Kasey Bell provides tons of useful teacher ready tools for quick and easy use. She focuses much of her time on Google Tools and creates lots of useful tutorials and guides. All for free!. 7. Google Gooru All things google, updated! 8. Coolcatteacher 9. NetfamilyNews-Anne Collier's timely blog about net safety! 10. Edutopia- Thoughtful educationally relevant posts on a variety of topics. Runner up: Darlynda Miktuk's ipad Resources for all Website: Updated resources for keeping up with iPad for education. Stacey is a High School Math Teacher in Washington D.C, I connected with her via Twitter and came across the amazing videos she has created for her math class. I sent her a quick twitter message and she was more than happy to have a chat session. Please check out her commentary from my interview. Some of the questions I asked were: 1. Tell us your Twitter backstory 2. What tools and programs do you use to create your amazing math videos? 3. What do you see the future of education looking like? 4. What are your inspirations? And don't miss the Speed Geek questions at the end! Big thanks to Stacey! Amazing and inspiring work! Every November there are two events that I really look forward to. The first event I look forward to is the American Holiday of Thanksgiving. This holiday is based around the notion of showing gratitude for all the good people and fortune that has been a part of your life. For me the day is spent with family, and is accompanied with good food, and Football! The other event that I look forward to in November is the New York State Association of Computers and technology in Education. (NYSCATE) I have been attending NYSCATE since 2007 and genuinely look forward to this with as much anticipation and gratitude that I approach Thanksgiving. Why? First of all, I really enjoying working and connecting once again with the fantastic people that help make the event possible as well as the participants that attend. The work that goes into making the NYSCATE conference is formidable and the leadership and board members have my undying respect for pulling everything together. You would be hard pressed to find a more fun loving and competent group of people. This year I had the pleasure of participating in the Start Up Weekend Edu. (SWEDU). This event is about people from all different backgrounds coming together and trying to develop ideas. It's fast paced and pretty intense, but in the end, whether you win or lose it you learn a lot about team dynamics, but more importantly you learn about yourself. Last, but certainly not least, the best part about NYCATE is connecting and re-connecting with some really great educators. I truly enjoy meeting and talking with so many of the people at NYSCATE. Without fail, I end up returning from this conference tired.... but very inspired. Please check out my interviews with some of the amazing people I had a chance to talk with. The Coffee with a Geek Show was created because I am inspired by educators who use technology to enhance student learning and improve their practice. Also, I find that so many parents and community members rarely get a glimpse at the powerful tools and techniques that are being employed by these amazing teachers. Well at NYSCATE, the New York State Ed Tech Conference, I have the opportunity to meet and catch up with these amazing educators. For those who are presenting and participating, come and talk to me. I will be stationed with the awesome people that are part of the Social Media Kiosk, namely Jen Laubscher (@JenLaubscher) and Stephen Ransom (@ransomtech). For those of you that can't make the conference, hopefully you can get a glimpse at the amazing people you can connect with and learn from. Check out the videos as I get them uploaded to Youtube! I had the wonderful opportunity to work with some Music teachers recently at Panama Central School. Panama is a charming little town in New York. It's always a drive I look forward to because I pass through Amish Farmland (almost always seeing a horse drawn buggy), the smooth calm of Chautauqua Lake, and gentle rolling hills. So I was in a peaceful frame of mind as I entered the school, ready to work with these teachers. Here I will tell you a secret, I was both intimidated and eager to work with these teachers. While I appreciate music and have a basic understanding of music theory, I really can't talk the talk when it comes to deeper understanding of music. And yet, I was eager to work with them, because I feel very strongly that music education is so vital to a school and a thriving public education culture. The lessons I learned from my music teachers, was so valuable in its structure and rigor, because the true test of your learning is the beauty of the performance. Also, in this dark age of heavy handed educational reform; inspiration, art, beauty, are so needed. They are sunshine after a long rain. So you may be wondering. Why would I, as someone with limited music ability, be leading a workshop on Music and the iPads? Well, because I was inspired by the notion that my role would certainly not be the part of teaching music theory to them, but perhaps helping them see that the iPads and technology as a whole can help take the beauty that gets created through performance to a larger audience using technology. Examples that I gave the music teachers were the famous PS 22 Chorus, that won fame and admiration from simply posting their practice sessions on a blog. http://ps22chorus.blogspot.com/. And with that, I started my day, not quite sure of the outcome, but hoping that by showing the power of the iPad as a creation device, that they would lead me to the objectives of the workshop. And so it happened. Being the creative and talented artists that they were, by the end of the day they were using the Garageband App to create a Jam Session that they all could contribute to. My gratitude and thanks to Musicians/Teachers, Anne Dolce, Steven Swanson, Dan Klinczar, Daland Perry. I started my day with a gentle ride through the country and ended my day with an inspirational performance. So what exactly IS a Start Up Weekend? Well, it is a dynamic and powerful way to bring your ideas to life with a group of energetic people all working as a team. And it all starts with a great idea.... The great thing about and Education StartUp is that teachers can throw out their ideas and see if they can get others to help. Education is ripe for new and innovative ideas. Why not give it a try? Teachers, entrepreneurs, techies.... Come one, come all, but come ready to be energized. While there are some winners of the event. There are definitely no losers. You will learn amazing skills and resourcefulness you may have never thought you had. Want to know more? Check out the people behind the scenes at this year's SWEDU!. Education Leader: Andrea Tejador, Start Up Winner and innovator, Todd Bernhard, and Start Up winner Oscar Pedroso, and NYSCATE 14 Keynote and Director of Education Entrepreneurs. Want to get involved? Need to learn more? Watch the videos below to learn from Start Up participants. Or check out this Link. Hope to see you there! History was never my major, but it has always been a passion of mine. I love nothing more than reading a good history non fiction or fiction book. As a 15 year Elementary School teacher, Social Studies was my favorite thing to teach, but I was almost always greeted at one point in the school year with one of my students saying... "History is boring!" And in truth, I think that is a common refrain for many students. But why? Well, my personal theory is the Social Studies and history education, is largely still a passive process of rote learning and memorization. And if there's any class in the school that is still set up with Sage on the Stage type teaching of rows with students facing the front of the room... it is social studies. And yet... technology can change that dynamic. It can make it active, creative, and even artistic. With that in mind I have created a workshop called the Innovative Educator Series Social Studies, where I work with local teachers to develop more dynamic and active lessons. As I work and collaborate with them I am curating some dynamic web tools and resources. Below is my collection so far using Symbaloo. Stay tuned I will add more! Kasey Bell is my first guest from outside of Western New York.... How did THAT happen? Well put simply... Twitter made it happen. Twitter is an amazing resource if you know how to follow amazing people and amazing trends. As I was checking my daily feeds, Kasey's Twitter handle continually showed up, and every resource she shared was relevant and timely. So I figured, why not reach out and say hello and see if I could chat with her... and pick her tech brain. Kasey immediately responded and we scheduled a meeting that gave me a half hour of uninterrupted Edtech chat. Being from Texas, Kasey's perspectives were really valuable because it gave me a perspective beyond the region. I would highly recommend following Kasey's amazing Shakeup Learning Blog, as well as, follow her through social networking. Please check out Kasey's comments in the Coffee with a Geek Hangout Session Below! Kasey's info: Blog: Shakeuplearning Twitter: @Shakeuplearning Google Plus: + Kasey Bell Pinterest: Shakeuplearning Funny as it is, Mark lives probably the closest of all the people I have interviewed for Coffee with a Geek, and yet, we have rarely crossed paths in person. Rather I have seen Mark at the Annual Digital Wave Conference, in West Seneca. At this conference he came upon my radar pretty quickly through participants in his workshop talking about how dynamic his presentation was. So, I easily tracked Mark down at his local school system. Dunkirk Central Schools. Mark certainly didn't disappoint as an interviewee. He is lively, engaging, and downright inspiring. I was really impressed how he has taken a subject that is traditionally text book, lecture style, and made it dynamic and digitally engaging. Mark's vision for the future and his passion for teaching come through loud and clear. Please watch and enjoy Mark's insights and great ideas. Resources that Mark recommended for making videos: Adobe Ideas: iTunes App Link HERE Paper by 53: Website Link HERE Programs: Apple's Keynote, Garage Band, Microsoft's PowerPoint Connect with Mark: Twitter: @markdrollinger Youtube Vids: HERE Google Plus: HERE |
the Geek
My name is Andrew Wheelock- I am a technology integrator who's fascinated with my fellow educators and their powerful uses of tech for learning. Archives
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