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I am one of the Diigo Host assigned for the week of Nov. 5-11, 2012. This website was very interesting to me. It had different tools to be able to use as an educator. Check it out!

I use edmodo and slide-rocket in my classrooms for web 2.0 tools also gotten into prezi but the lagging of my network campus tends to drag. but great tools I use.

I posted something similar to this. I love learning and implementing new tools. There are SOOOOOOO many out there!

I love the way the question is asked by What can I actually do with the Ipad verses What can the Ipad do. Like any other type of technology tool, it is not useful if we don't understand how to utilize it. This article is great and has many inspiring ideas on how to utilize the Ipad especially if you are Reading Teacher. Awesome Website...

I like the answers that are provided by Beth Holland regarding "Why iPads and Why Technology? So students can communicate in complex and modern ways. So students can make their thinking visible.

Yadira, IPADs are awesome and their uses in the classroom can be uncountable. I like the format of this article/website because it provides the Learning Objectives, Projects, and a Video. I liked the one titled, "I want my students to master the concept of the story arc." Don't forget to check out the video! This is a great resource to share with others! Thanks for sharing!

I am also a big supporter of tablets in the classroom, but I have yet to justify the cost of purchasing an ipad at $500 a piece. With budget cuts as wide spread as they are now, I would think a kindle, nook or even a nexus tablet for around half the price would work just as well. What students need is a dedicated e-reader and access to the internet to look up any information on the spot. Any of the above mentioned tablets could perform these skills without the premium price tag. Since most apps are now available on both the ios operating system and the android operating system, I would imagine the apps developed by speech and language experts are also available across platforms. The second issue in dealing with ipads is the familiarity with the product. Apple is the most successful and profitable tech company in the U.S. right now, but 90% of the computers in the classroom are windows based. Teachers will be more willing to utilize a tool if it integrates easily with the technology already found in the classroom. Ipad is a name. It is the most trusted and used tablet on the market. If, however, students can receive the same benefits of an ipad at half the price, I see no reason to limit the inclusion of tablets in the classroom to an ipad. Check out this article. It has some interesting comments by Bill Gates. http://macdailynews.com/2012/06/27/bill-gates-tablets-in-the-classroom-have-really-horrible-track-record/

It is amazing how much technology is available to help students in the classroom. Integrating technology into the classroom enhances teaching and learning, yet it is now a necessity, even for students with disabilities. My question is, Are facilitators aware of how technology can be used in the classroom? It seems we are still lagging behind on the use of technology in the classrooms. Here is another article that touches points to consider when designing teaching and learning activities when integrating technology into the classroom: http://www.cput.ac.za/blogs/cel/2012/09/13/technology-for-inclusivity/

Jaime, I believe the use of iPads and other related Tablets in the classroom is great way to engaged students in the concept being taught. I like how this article detailed how the iPad can be implemented in the classroom to help students with special needs. Article: 7 Strategies for iPads and iPods in the (Math) Classroom- http://thejournal.com/Articles/2012/07/11/7-Strategies-for-iPads-and-iPods-in-the-Math-Classroom.aspx?Page=1

As someone who wants to be a leader in their district for technology implementation, I believe one of the best things I can do is keep myself plugged into a Professional Learning Network (PLN). I dont have to figure out everything on my own....it is much simpler to steal other people's ideas :). The Nerdy Teacher has been my go to source for examining how others are using technology in the classroom, and I highly recommend making him a part of your PLN.

This blog has many posts to read. It is helpful to read what technology another teacher is using in the classroom. He does mention different technology tools to use in the classroom that are new to me. This is a blog that I will continue to read for new ideas.

Thank you for the positive feedback...in summary here is the list of websites we came up with to start a PLN, enjoy! www.thenerdyteacher.com http://www.techlearning.com/index http://www.edweek.org/ew/section/blogs/index.html http://www.thinkinginmind.com/ http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2011/08/5-cs-to-developing-your-personal.html http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/01/for-connected-educator-month-tips-from-33-educators-we-admire/

I am one of the Diigo discussion host assigned for the week of Oct. 22 - 28, 2012. This video is not the typical article or website most of us have been sharing, but I really wanted to share with you. In addition to this video, I would also like to share with you a very resourceful website that I will provide later. Although I could not highlight text that I wanted to emphasis with the Diigo toolbar, since it is a video, I am going to include what I want to emphasis: Youtube is the 2nd largest search engine Wiki ( Hawaiian term= quick) Studies show that Wikipedia is as accurate as Encyclopedia Britannica US Department of Education study revealed that online students out perform those receiving face to face instruction.... Discussion question: Do you think that social media is a revolution or a fad? Please provide explanation for your rationale. Why do you thinkg social networking a fundamental shift of how we communicate?

At my campus students are using social media for educational purposes. Students are using edmodo in a couple of their classes to work on educational assignments, quizzes and current event group discussions as participation grades in classroom environments. Social media has grown since the beggining of the 20th century belive it or not. I truely believe that social media will continue to grow in time and be more useful in school environments. I really enjoy using edmodo, kind of like a facebook but for school related purposes. Great article

Many people are still fighting the revolution of technology. Some people prefer submitting hard copies instead of online reports. Change is not easy and sometimes even scary, but we should always give it a try. I do believe that social media has revolutionized the way we communicate.

21st century literacy

Internet technologies may be a good way to teach computer literacy and content, but it may be easy for students to skim through information. In a traditional classroom lecture, the listener may only retain twenty percent of the lecture. When we have our students using online resources, can we be sure that they are thoroughly learning the content. Even in class our instructors reiterate thoroughly reading the materials, because they know we tend to skim the material and miss important information. More on the way we are learning now. We have a new category of learner rather than traditional, according to Dr. Michael Herbert, whom conducted a study of of content retention and course satisfaction at the college level. It is useful to note the five reasons why adult learners drop out of online learning programs: "poor design, failure to understand the new medium, lack of consideration for a variety of learning styles, lack of support systems and ignoring the self-selecting content need of learners." All of these reasons are the same reasons our students may struggle with internet technologies and online learning. Herbert, M. (2006, Winter). Staying the Course: A Study in Online Student Satisfaction and Retention. Retrieved April 1, 2012, from http://www.westga.edu: http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/winter94/herbert94.htm

What really caught y attention in this article was the part where it says: Make it personal - Passion-driven learning. Teaching mathematics in the seconday level is no easy task. Having to teach probably the least favorite subject of high schoolers is such a big challenge that most teachers prefer to teach the subject in a traditional way. Quiet classroom, teacher in the front, books on the table and students quietly listen to to the teachers dicussion. This method is widely opossed nowadays and classroom collaboration many believe is the most effective way of learning. Technology helps this goal to be achieved. Passion driven learning is one of the ways that I truly believe could work in a math class. Online resources such as the Gallup Poll's web page http://www.gallup.com/home.aspx - offers information on how they use data and other information to predict outcomes and verify results. The site is loaded with graphs, data and other information relevant to mathematics in the real world setting. If we could spark that passion in our kids, they themselves, on their own will search for other resources and learn along the way. Dyck, B. (2005, winter). Meridian: A Middle School Computer Technologies Journal; When Technology Integration Goes to Math Class, from http://www.ncsu.edu/meridian/sum2003/math/index.html

In the edutopia blog article, Shaping Tech for the Classroom, linked above, Marc Prensky - the "creator" of the digital immigrant/digital native labels, describes the typical process of technology adoption. How accurately do those steps define what is happening on your campus with regard to technology adoption? On average, where in the process is your campus? Have you seen any "movement" through the process in the last 2-3 years? If yes, to what do you attribute these changes? If no, what can you do to move the campus forward? Click on "Comment" above to respond to the article and to your peers. Please post at least one link in this group that is relevant to your discussion. Be sure to tag your link and your discussion.

In my campus I have noticed that veteran teachers tend to stay away from technology. Veteran teachers didn't grow up with technology in their classrooms and have been teaching for years with out technology that they see no need to implement it now. I really see that as shameful! Now, as a MTT in training, I really want to change these teachers minds about technology and show them how easy it is to use. "With the infusion of technology into all aspects of daily life, students are becoming more and more adept at using technology as an educational resource. Many faculty, however, are not keeping pace with their students. Additionally, faculty feel increasingly unprepared to integrate technology into the classroom." Efau, J. (2005, May 4). No Teacher Left Behind: How to Teach with Technology. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/EDUCAUSEQuarterlyMagazineVolum/NoTeacherLeftBehindHowtoTeachw/157372

I seem a bit doubtful that well working laptops can be found for almost 100 dollars for schools as this article suggest, but after looking at Project Inkwell's Web site, it seems like something that we might see in the future. Although I do not foresee my campus being able to complete the "one on one" process any time soon, I feel that it is improving with technology integration. New equipment that I have seen to promote technology integration has already been coming in to our library, which helps us get one step closer to meeting integration goals. We still face a few dilemmas with technology integration, such as lack of working computers in a classroom, or no student Ethernet hookups in the portables, but our administrators do what they can to help us with problems we face with this. There is of course however only so much that they can do, but little by little, I can see the process of technology integration in to the classrooms moving along as each year passes. An example of this movement that has been done can be seen when looking back at the year when our school's portables were first put up. It was at this time that there wasn't any internet provide to those in the portables at all. There as well were not enough SMART boards for every classroom, or any computer classes for 6 grade students. Completing a project using technology with 6 graders was really hard before they opened up computer classes for them. Now, internet, although a bit limited in the portables still, can at least be reached to them, Smart board are given to each teacher, knowledge of technology use is much better than the past 6th graders, and workshops for the use of technology are also provide from time to time. This makes it much more less time consuming for many teachers who wish to integrate technology into their classrooms, and keeps our campus moving in the right track for proper technology integration in our schools. A link, by Project Inkwell, to the prototype dev

This website gives an insight of what Colorado districts are presently doing: 4-day school weeks. Are we headed that way?

I think that districts here in the valley are far from moving to this 4-day school weeks. It would have to be most or all of the school districts from around here in order to work more effectively. There will be a lot of unhappy parents due to child care expenses. On the other hand, us teachers will probably enjoy it. As it is most of us already stay late hours at school everyday to finish up. The districts will have to show how much they are saving by doing this and at the same time maintain or improve scores.

I read the article and I believe the 4-day week has its benefits but as well it has its downside. I believe at the end the positive benefits will outweigh the downsides. If any district is going to implement the 4-day week, the district has to have the parents and community behind them if they want the system to work. I can see how having a 4-day week will have a positive effect on test scores, because the students and teachers will make every hour count for instructional time, knowing they only have 4 days to teach the concept within the week. I can also see improvement in attendance with students and staff, now parents and teachers can schedule their appointments on the off day during the week. Article: http://crosscut.com/2012/02/16/education/21873/The-fourday-school-week-why-less-really-is-more/ A superintendent in Oregon explains the reasons why a shift to a four-day school week works well for students, teachers, and families. Start with better academic performance.

More technology in the classroom means needing more broadband access that we can truly rely on. Too many times teachers have tried to use technology and the speed is just not there. We can't use technology without the right resources and access along with speed is a major factor in allowing to use it effectively. How would you rate your district's internet access and speed?

Most certainly! Slow internet access delays some of the website that run in flash. Especially most of the Web 2.0 tools run very slow at school. Hopefully the districts can take this into consideration and can increase the broadband access.

At my school we do have quick Internet service on the student computers that work. I have three student computers in my classroom but only one of them works properly. We also have Computers On Wheels but the school district has made it difficult for the teachers to use them. It is important to have broadband in order to utilize all of the web 2.0 tools we are learning about in our graduate classes.

It's pretty obvious that the internet has had a huge impact in education, but just how has the internet changed education? With each semester, more and more students are taking classes online, teachers are integrating social media into their courses, and everyone is turning to the web to do their research.

The internet has changed since back in the mid 1990's when I was introduced to it. The realization of dial-up but yes technology is growing exponentially and the internet has changed in many ways. There are thousands of apps to choose from and a mass amount of websites along with more web 2.0 technology tools. There are more internet resources for school districts to use. I'd say as years progress so will technology in education.

Sonia, Internet has change so much for everyone. Now in days, you can find anything through internet. Alot of people depend on the usage of internet for researching or simply buying something through the use of internet. Thanks for sharing.

Texas lawmakers consider legislation that would reduce both graduation requirements and standardized testing. Supporters on both sides weigh in on why this may or may not be a good thing for Texas students.

This notion of accountability through standardized testing has back-fired on its creators. We're suppose to be producing college and career-ready products, not test ready products. And even at that we're failing.

Oh my such a hard topic. On the one hand the need to know where we stand. On the other, the excessive, myopic, pedagogical approach inherent in testing-based curricula. Yes, we have heard all the utopian assertiveness that the test doesn't determine the curriculum and yet we all have been victims of the mixed messaging that occurs and the unofficial mandates to "teach to the test" in the end.

What do you think is BYOD good or bad for the classroom?

Bring Your Own Data! Excellent, we all know that students from nowadays are in touch with all kinds of electronic devices, and why not taking advantage of it. The good think about technology is that there are lots of applications or ways to incorporate such electronic devices in the classroom. I have used a couple of times cellphones to use them as clickers, and students are amazed they can do that, if we introduced students to such things they will naturally seek for more ways to incorporate learning with their own cellphones, ipods, ipads etc.

I would certainly do the BYOD if i did not have enough technology in my classroom. Students are really proud when they contribute and share their "toys" or devices. The pros are that they know the devices well,and will be able to download the apps needed, and navigate. Devices are usually the latest model, so we would have compatible devices, and we can learn a thing or two from them and have the troubleshooting down as well. The cons might be that we need to make sure we have permission slips with waivers for lost items, but at the same time, be sure we have a place to lock them up and keep them safe. HCISD has form that needs to be signed by parents. I know a fifth grade teacher who has implemented BYOD, and technology has become an interwoven tool that is used seamlessly. Students are not at the novelty stage clamoring to get to the tools, but deciding for themselves when they need to use to to research, or for reviewing objectives taught in class. It was a successful implementation.

I wish we had the ability to blog, at our district technology is a bit limited and we have a lot of hesitant people. It's very much like Reflective Journaling except with the twist of technology. Great website.

Thank you for the link, I agree with many of the other comments that the district does not allow student/teacher blogging, but there are other ways around it. This year, my campus is using "Weebly" to create thier classroom website and it has the ability to interact with students via a blog, which is great. I am a true believer that in order for students to get aquainted with current technology tools, we must make it available to them. Thank you for the link!

This is a great way to integrate blogging into the classrooms. Many of the postings are very interesting and provide us with more resources to use in the classrooms. Here are the top 10 blogging websites: http://topsitesblog.com/blog-websites/

The cost of higher education has grown exponentially in just the six years since my undergraduate days. However, the options that are available are incredible! I was amazed to find out that you can take classes online through MIT for FREE. What an amazing way to use our time on the internet? Are we preparing our students to be self-guided learners who are ready to work their way through an online course? I know that it's been a difficult transition for me, will our students be able to make it? Are they better equipped than the older generation to make the transition because of their technology infused lives or will it be more difficult for them to focus?

Wow, this was very scary. I have three children and I have instilled in them the importance of furthering their education. Seeing this makes me wonder, if Im gona have to rob a bank to help them on thier educational journey. The price of college has risen significally now, but I will try my best to stay afloat and continue and hopefully succeed without a ton of debt.

Yes, post-secondary education is becoming more expensive to prepare our sons and daughters at the actual schools of learning for their future. More the reason(s) that we must prepare students K-12th to be 21st century learners that can collaborate, communicate, use critical thinking skills and problem-solving skills that will enable them to be independent and self-motivated for online learning. By taking on-line college courses, the students will be able to save money in tuition fees, textbooks, housing, transportation, and other types of expenses. In spite of the high expense it will cost me to educate my daughter as a biology major and to attend medical school, I want her to be prepared to become a medical doctor--thank goodness I only have one!!