Group items tagged

" When schools lift the ban on cell phones, they need to decide if they want to embrace the use of student devices for learning. If they do, it doesn't "start" with inviting devices into the classroom.  It starts in student's homes.  What better way to help parents understand the instructional value of cell phones than to use these devices to strengthen the home-school connection?  Cell phones provide a terrific means for connecting with parents. Teachers can begin using phones to develop and strengthen those relationships. This can provide a foundation and help develop understanding around the benefits and value of cell phone use in general and later for use with students. "

"As Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) becomes and option for more and more schools, it is important to get the right pieces in place. A good place to start is the BYOD Toolkit which is part of the K-12 Blueprint for implementing successful technology initiatives.  The Toolkit includes case studies, checklists, step-by-steps, program frameworks, forms, and presentations to help in planning and implementing a BYOD program at the school or district level."

"Teens today. Always on their phones. Lightening fast thumbs sharing content on Snapchat, Vine, Instagram, Twitter and more. While teens, teachers, and parents are familiar with cell phone's use as a social tool, more and more are discovering they are a great learning resource as well. There's even evidence and research to prove it. "

"Text Engine was developed to offer cell phone users a means to search the web using their text messaging service. This is great news for educators and students in low-income and rural communities.   And that's a good thing, because while smartphones are popular, there is still a great need for text-only services in low-income and rural districts. There is also a need in districts like NYC that empower students to bring their own devices to school, but don't have the means to enable students to connect to the internet.  "

"The Americas Society and Council of the Americas invited me to discuss the role of social media in education with experts and leaders dedicated to advancing and shaping the political, economic, social and cultural agendas of the Western Hemisphere. The purpose was to take what works in New York City and bring it to other education systems. To follow are some ideas I shared that global leaders can bring back to their countries. "

"When students can bring or access devices for learning, teachers want to figure out the best resources. To do that they have Graphite™. Graphite is a free service from Common Sense Education designed to help preK-12 educators discover, use, and share the best apps, games, websites, and digital curricula for their students by providing unbiased, rigorous ratings and practical insights from our active community of teachers."

"When I talk to students these days they tell me that when they want to learn something they're interested in, it usually is not teachers or parents they turn to. It's Google, YouTube, or to others they find online (aka their PLN) who engage in their activities of interest. "

"If you're in a school where students have access to technology they have amazing learning tools at their fingertips. While equity and access is wonderful for students, teachers must know how to harness the power of these devices. If they don't, these tools of engagement can turn into weapons of mass distraction. "

"I'm a student voice advocate. Fortunately, my employer supports this and as such, we have been incorporating the voice of students in the guidelines around social media (You can see the teen guidelines at schools.nyc.gov/socialmedia). Most recently I had the opportunity to speak with hundreds of elementary students about social media and which platforms they are using. Admittedly, I'm not much of a user of social media platforms for the under 13 set, so I knew I had a lot to learn. Interestingly, across the board, one platform rose to the top and I had never heard of it before."

"Are you allowing students to bring their own devices to learn where you work? If so, you'll want to become familiar with these seven digital resources.  Each resource is followed by a link to more information and advice for use in the classroom. What's great about all of these tools is they can be used in environments even if students have a regular phone without browser or app capabilities.  "

"Post this on your wall for 2018/2019 school year as a reminder of all the dates you can celebrate ways to prepare modern learners."

"During the #NYCSchoolsTech monthly Twitter chat Kelly Mendoza, Common Sense Education's #MediaLiteracy expert, shared ideas and resources including Common Sense Education's comprehensive Media Literacy Toolkit. However, Kelly wasn't the only one with great ideas and resources to share. Participate, where the chats are archived has a handy dandy feature where all shared resources are collected. This chat had a collection of 24 resources contributed by participants which you could view here.  Here are three resources that stood out to me as one's innovative educators could put to use right away. "

"Inspired to turn useful tips, tricks, and ideas into infographics, #NYCSchoolsTech specialist, Joe Santiago created his first infographic. The focus is on how teachers who want to update their practice can use technology when doing formative assessments."

"The next time you see a study that reminds us that dumping materials off to kids doesn't result in some kind of magical osmosis on a child's brain, it should be no surprise. There is no magic tool when it comes to student success. The magic comes from the tool combined with support, collaboration, coaching, modeling, and more. "

"I developed this quiz with members of my personal learning network (found at end of post) to get students thinking about their digital footprint. The quiz was created at the request of high school students I spoke with who thought the creation of a such a quiz could lead to a smart conversation about ways students can update their digital footprint so that it is one that leads to college and career success. Check it out with your students and let me know how it goes in the comments below. "