Group items tagged

"On my blog,Teachingwithsoul.com, I share my passion to support new teachers. I founded New Teacher Chat #ntchat for this purpose. Join me! Core Blogger @Edutopia @KIDS_DISCOVER, & former Principal. "

"Resources, stories, and connections with those who use social media in today's k-12 classrooms"

"Twitter and Remind 101 are two of the most popular free services available to text parents. But how do you know which one is best for you? "

"I knew it was going to be an interesting phone call (any call usually is before 8:00 in I.T.). When the teacher asked why she couldn't get to "insertwebsite.com" and her kids were arriving in 15 minutes for the first BYOD pilot class, I took my first deep breath of the morning…. The second call came about 8:25… She was still trying to get students logged into their devices… A technology specialist and a tech were trying to assist…. Some had limited connectivity to our wireless; others were trying to reach their carrier network, which didn't have a good signal in that part of the building. The app she was trying to get everyone on wasn't working and wouldn't pull up for everyone… "

"Contact is key. Our constituencies want us to be accessible. However, 24/7 access isn't always possible, nor should it be. Chris Casal, the technology teacher & tech coordinator at PS 10 in Park Slope, Brooklyn, uses his Google Voice number on a daily basis to keep the parent-teacher line of communication open & accessible as well as a point of contact available to all members of the PS 10 community."

"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."

"Social media advice for career-minded students. 10 things to consider."

"Whether presenting to a class or audience, for most, interactivity is appreciated. One technique I enjoy is to ask participants to discuss an issue with colleagues. I generally leave the presentation platform to access the timer and countdown music, then come back to it.  But that can get annoying and sort of glitchy.  I thought there had to be a better way. There is. The trick is that you embed a timer that has been turned into a YouTube video. YouTube is used because it can be embedded into most presentation platforms. Then you use a picture in picture technique to indicate time is running out with game show music and follow that up with a  "time is up" sound effect."

"Recently, I presented an online webinar with education colleagues from different parts of the U.S. The webinar, Social Media Savvy for Educators, was well received. Our purpose in sharing was to: Support educators who were new to using social media Support them to seek out a few resources Support them to launch into those spaces In this webinar, we shared ways to tap into the power of social media to increase professional effectiveness, student engagement and parent participation. K-12 educators and leaders attended and participated to learn about integrating Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, blogs, Google Hangout and more into their everyday work. An interesting issue emerged as we stepped through the webinar -- we observed that many participants did not know how to "get started" using social media tools. "

"If you build it, will they come? Just because you create a makerspace (PDF) in your school doesn't guarantee that your community will embrace it. Students who have had all personal choice removed by traditional educational models can be passive and feel overwhelmed when faced with real-world problems or design challenges. Academic passivity is common in schools where students swallow content and regurgitate it on multiple-choice tests. Students simply want to know how to get the "A." This type of learning does not stick. Teachers may find the role of facilitator (or "guide on the side") uncomfortable if they are used to being the "sage on the stage." New technology in these spaces may be intimidating. Teachers need encouragement and professional development to change their mindsets and become facilitators of learning. How do you change your culture and ensure that your shiny new makerspace will empower students to acquire 21st-century skills? How do you change the culture of student apathy to encourage a mindset of doing? Follow these steps and design tips to build a culture of making and active learning."