What's Your Favorite Transformative Tool of 2011?
Dec
22
Written by:
12/22/2011 2:02 AM
As we near the end of 2011, I thought I would invite you to add to this post by linking and reflecting on the tools that have most transformed your classrooms this year.
"Originally posted Sept 2010.
Modified June 2011 (I have struckthrough ideas I've changed, and put in purple new ideas).
Modified Oct 2011 for iOS 5 update (I have struckthrough ideas I've changed, and put in green new ideas).
Modified (pink) May 2012 thanks to Bryan Hughes alerting me to Air Server.
Modified (orange) Sept 2012 thanks to Disp Recorder's release. Finally, a way to record your iPad screen in any app!
The Apple Fairy has come to your classroom and given you some iPads and/or iPod Touches to use for learning? You and your students sure are the lucky ones. I know what you're thinking though: "So what now, technically speaking?" There are many different ways to set your iDevices up. Here is how I've done mine:"
"Getty Images has put together a rather extensive iPad eBook which they are providing for you to enjoy for at no charge. The eBook, Year in Focus, is more than a collection of photos from 2011. The eBook covers many subjects: politics, sports, international, etc… even pages of photos of folks we lost in 2011."
Wesley Fryer is the author of "Playing with Media: simple ideas for powerful sharing" (July 2011) and a contributing author of "What School Leaders Need to Know About Digital Technologies and Social Media" (September 2011). Wesley co-authored Chapter 3 of the book, "Podcasts and Webinars," with Steve Dembo. "Playing with Media: simple ideas for powerful sharing" is available in 3 eBook formats and as a paperback! Additional resources are on playingwithmedia.com. See and contribute student media examples on share.playingwithmedia.com. Learn about workshop and videoconference opportunities on learn.playingwithmedia.com.
With the announcement of the 2011 Edublog Award winners, there are now two more award-winning wikis in the Wikispaces community. And we couldn’t be prouder!
"The Managing Complex Change model puts language to that which makes some schools successful while others struggle. The model looks at five components necessary to create a desired environment. These include vision, skills, incentives, resources, action plan. If any one piece is missing the model indicates results schools will experience including change, confusion, anxiety, gradual change, frustration, and a false start.
When thinking of successful schools such as Science Leadership Academy, The MET, The Island School, The iSchool, you will find they have all those components in place. On the other hand, when I hear teachers lamenting about their school failures, the model brings clarity to the fact that one or more of these components are missing.
Below is the chart that lays this out. Following the chart, I'll take a look at what each missing component might look like in a school environment. As you read, consider which, if any are components, are missing at your school.
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Lack of Vision = Confusion
When I hear exasperated teachers spinning their wheels, working so hard to get ready for all the various mandates and requirements, but never feeling a sense of accomplishment, it is clear there is not a tangible school vision that has been communicated. In some cases this is because what is being imposed does or can not reconcile with what the school wanted for their vision.
Skill Deficit = Anxiety
My heart goes out to those with a skill deficit. They are required to implement a curriculum they are not trained in using or being evaluated via measures with which they are not familiar. Or…they are put into a position they were not trained for or prepared to embrace. Social media provides a great medium for helping these teachers get up to speed, but when the outreach occurs, the anxiety is abundantly clear.
Lack of Incentives = Gradual Change
It is not unusual for innovative educators to feel like and be perceived as misfits. Islands onto their own
"This week's pick is one for the NFL fans - The Daily's Pro Football Guide 2011. As the name just might suggest, it's from The Daily, the first ever iPad-only newspaper."
Adoption of iPads and other alternative computing devices has started cutting into PC sales. Traditional computers--desktops, workstations, laptops, and netbooks--saw a steep decline in the first quarter of 2011 in the United States