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"nce again, I am amazed every time I talk to groups and find out so many educators have not used word clouds to their fullest extent with their students. Word clouds also provide an easy way for teachers who are just getting started using web technology in the classroom. I have tried to include a multitude of subject areas. These ideas include practices shared with me, various readings, and a lot of my own brainstorming. I know this will be an article you wish to share with others. In order to better understand some of the advanced uses I suggest you may wish to read my past post entitled, 12 Valuable Wordle Tips You Must Read.  One example of an advanced feature includes putting multiple words  together in a word cloud. If using Wordle, just put a tilde (~) between them. (Example (ice~cream~cone). While I call it advanced, it is also necessary to know in order to get the most out of word clouds in the classroom..Also, keep in mind that Tagxedo and Tagul are great alternatives to Wordle. Keep in mind that word clouds are a Web 2.0 tool. Make sure your students practice proper digital citizenship and privacy. You should also check your district AUP (Acceptable Use Policy). By the way… do you have an idea I have not listed? Then just take a moment and leave a comment or email me at mjgormans@gmail.com . I thank you in advance. Now, let's explore those word clouds!"

"While Apple products are known for their integration in classrooms, increasingly Google is the choice for schools and districts looking for something organized, useful, and inexpensive that's available on tablet, laptop, Chromebooks, desktop, smartphone, and more.  In fact, the sheer diversity of Google products might make them a more natural fit in the classroom in lieu of the iPad's gravity. Below we've listed 50 ways teachers can get started using Google in the classroom. "

"Every year there are some topics and conversations that grab readers' attention more than others. In 2016, MindShift readers engaged most often and deeply with stories about the tricky job of motivating learners, especially when circumstances like poverty, learning differences and trauma complicate classroom dynamics. Educators are looking for ways to reach all facets of the complicated learners that sit in their classrooms, diving deeply into research about self-control, mindfulness programs and teaching strategies to give students structures for their thinking. And, since educating a child is a partnership between schools, families and communities, many classroom teachers and parents alike are increasingly concerned about the role parents play in nurturing and supporting students."

"Declining attention span as a result of increasing use of smartphones and social media are just a few challenges teachers deal with in the modern classroom. Children today deal with more stimuli around them than ever before. Mobile phones, tablets,and other technology have become so intertwined with our children's daily lives that it's hard to imagine keeping it out of the classroom. Even though some believe these can be distractions, embracing technology can make learning more fun and impactful. Smartphones, iPads and other devices have become so intuitive for kids, it only makes sense to harness these powerful learning tools to engage a classroom full of tech-savvy students. And the best part? You can use these ideas in one form or another for any student in any content area and grade level."

"Now, teachers can bring that experience into the classroom when students aren't home sick. Several digital tools created for the classroom bring those exciting experiences to students with learning as the focus. Here are some of the ones I've found that I think are the best, along with pros, cons and what makes them different:"

"So how can teachers prepare for this surge of computer science in the classroom and integrate it into their curriculum in a meaningful way? It starts with understanding that technology is a tool-a means to accomplishing an end, but not an end itself. It's important to not just leverage technology for technology's sake. There needs to be a purpose behind it. For example, besides simply having iPads in the classroom, schools need to have goals in place for using them. Perhaps the goal is enabling kids to create with the iPads-like build their own apps-versus simply reviewing materials on the device. Through our work helping students, teachers and parents around the world embrace technology in the classroom and at home, I've learned some best practices for maximizing the opportunities that technology education offers:"

"Students' behavior is a form of communication and when it's negative it almost always stems from an underlying cause. There are many reasons kids might be acting out, which makes it difficult for a teacher in a crowded classroom to figure out the root cause. But even if there was time and space to do so, most teachers receive very little training in behavior during their credentialing programs. On average, teacher training programs mandate zero to one classes on behavior and zero to one courses on mental health. Teacher training programs mostly assume that kids in public schools will be "typical," but that assumption can handicap teachers when they get into real classrooms."

"Inspired by the magnificent edu-tweeter @ShellTerrell, I wanted to share a few of the great ways she and her fellow tweeps plan on using the new iPad in the classroom. I love crowdsourcing this kind of information. I've taken the liberty of using some of the many tweets and enhancing them to give a better idea about the actual way to use the iPad in the classroom."

"Learn how to setup, use and moderate content on a classroom blog to improve student writing skills. A moderated classroom blog is the ideal platform to use to share announcements, classroom news, and student work for a public audience. In this workshop we'll use several free blogging and learning management tools. These will include KidBlog (powered by WordPress), My Big Campus, and Edmodo. We'll also explore how free Posterous.com sites can be used to share rich media including images, audio and video files from iPads including "cart-based" iPads using a shared student "sending" email account. In addition, we'll learn how to create enhanced/multimedia eBooks including digital text, hyperlinks, images, and embedded videos using iPad apps as well as other software programs. These will include Book Creator for iPad, iBooks Author software, Apple Pages software (part of iWork), and Calibre software (free and cross-platform). Digital Show and Tell from Day 2"

"Ever wondered about the impact apps and devices like the iPad are having on the classroom in 2012. Many students this year will start their school year using tablet computers. A new infographic reveals that 1.5m iPads are being used in classrooms and that there are 20,000 education apps available. "

"Capturing information quickly and efficiently in a classroom is an important skill. So much of what we do in the classroom needs to be documented either by you, the teacher or by the students. Apps that make this process quick and easy are therefore vital. Here are a quick list that might work in your classroom - some are quite expensive but they do offer a vastly different product depending on who will be the primary user. "

"The summer is quickly winding down & a number of teachers will be returning to their classroom with new mobile devices (iPads). Throughout the summer I have been conducting workshops on iPad integration with EdTechTeacher and I thought it might be helpful to pull together a back to school list of apps structured around specific classroom goals. While many schools may already have an Apple VPP program already in place, I know a number of teachers will also be purchasing the apps themselves. Therefore, I will do my best to include both a pay & free app for each objective."

"When it comes to solving word problems in the math classroom, children should be able to explain their thinking. This includes identifying the strategies they used and the thought process behind their decisions. Students should use grade-appropriate math vocabulary and models that demonstrate the steps they took to solve a problem. In this post, we're going to take a look at how screencasting can be used in a fourth grade classroom to meet a Common Core State Standard while addressing a 21st century skill: communicate clearly. "

"Smartphones enable learners the opportunity to collaborate, communicate, create, coordinate and curate classroom activities. Discover 44 ways to use smartphones in the classroom. "

"My criteria for picking these tools was pretty straightforward, and will not be unfamiliar to a lot of you who may have a similar criteria of your own: It had to be free, or at least offer enough free services to be useful in the classroom It had to be engaging, interactive, and/or instantly appealing to students. It had to be a multi-platform tool that was accessible on as many devices as possible. The slides from the session are below. If you see something you like feel free to share it with someone else who might benefit from using some of these great web tools in their classroom!"

"Perhaps one of the most powerful expectations of students in an environment of scarcity is that they not question the source of the information. As the modern classroom has become connected, the amount of information available to both teachers and students has exponentially increased. Where teachers once lectured about important ideas and events, or shared their acquired knowledge with their students, today's classrooms can see every key primary source document, the actual notes of great scientists, and a limitless amount of literary criticism. For students, this abundance of information means not only a changing role from the traditional classroom, but also a drastically different set of skills and expectations."

"Blended learning can tick a lot of boxes for a lot of different teachers who teach in potentially quite different scenarios. From 1:1 classrooms and schools with plenty of iPads to BYOD classes filled with different types (and amounts) of technology, blended learning can help nearly every teacher make learning more personalized and more interesting for their students. Implementing a blended learning program in your classroom can be a great way to put the technology tools you have - whatever they may be - to use. The handy infographic below takes a look at 10 blended learning trends that are showing up in today's classrooms. Keep reading to learn more"

"Editor's note:  Vicki Davis just wrote a new book called, Reinventing Writing. I asked her if she could contribute a post to The Innovative Educator explaining specifically how social media has reinvented writing. This is that post.   As hall of fame baseball player, Babe Ruth said, "Yesterday's home runs won't win tomorrow's games." To level up writing, we need to take advantage of the out-of-the park features and capabilities that social media inspired concepts give writing instruction. Most of us know how it feels to write an exciting Facebook status update or a powerful tweet. Without delay, we know the impact of our words as they are retweeted, commented on, and liked (or ignored.) With this in mind, it stands to reason that students want a response too. Paper essays that are only seen by the teacher with a wastebasket as their final destiny are a needless waste of time and potential. Writing can be so much more exciting and it isn't that hard to do. Notably, social media is impacting writing in the classroom in ten powerful ways. You don't have to be on social media (or even like it)  to feel the lift social media concepts can give writing in your classroom, as I share in my new book  Reinventing Writing released just this month."