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Great website. I'm actually having to present to the math department on how they can incorporate tech. into their classroom this week. This site is great to show them!!

This is an excellent website. I really like how it is set up to suggest web 2.0 tools according to what your learning goal is for technology implementation. It highlights key points about the website and rates its ease of use level. It organizes the Web 2.0 tools according to its purpose. For example, if I would like for my students to create books, magazines, posters, or newsletters online, this website simplifies my options by providing me with useful information on Web 2.0 tools that are available to accomplish this goal.

Thanks for sharing this website I will definitely have it as a resource to guide me in the implementation of technology into my lessons. My favorite part of the website is the table of technology tools with a description, example and level of difficulty. The method of organizing tools in a table allows me to have tools in an accessible format that will motivate me to use them rather than spending valuable time looking for resources and information on how to use them in separate places. This website provides additional tutorials as well that can provide guiding tools in the implementation of technology. I have also found very useful the following website: (http://education.ti.com/calculators/pd/US/Online-Learning/ ) from Texas Instruments that provides not only ready made lessons that implement technology but also free webinars to learn methods of implementation.

Wow, The way EdtechTeacher.org is set up is very user friendly. The different tabs towards the top make navigation through this site very easy. There's something here for everyone, from teachers to school leaders who are looking for ways to incorporate more technology in their campus. I really liked and found interesting the tab that reads, "Teaching with Technology/Innovate projects & Lessons". There I was able to find numerous ideas of lessons and projects using technology. This provides a valuable resource to look into different project ideas. Great Website. Thank you for sharing! Also check this website out when you get a chance. (http://www.p21.org/)

Awesome, I definitely like this site: (http://edtechteacher.org/index.php/teaching-technology/tech-tools) there are lots of student friendly links in which students can use to integrate technology in their assignments. Teachers can also get ideas so that students can integrate technology using awesome graphic organizers. This website has on site links to go to on technology tools which are very user-friendly. Thanks for sharing! Check this website, there are awesome technology tools which teachers can use in the classroom. http://www.superteachertools.com/index.php

This website has so much information! I like that it invites teachers and administrators (Professional Development Services/Leadership and Change Tabs) to contact them to come to their campus or district to help incorporate technology to the curriculum. It has numerous links for teachers to use, and shows how technology is being used in innovative ways in the classrooms. I also like that it gives students' excerpts on actual projects and lessons that have been done. It gives really good explanations and justifications of the use of technology in the classroom. In checking out the various sites it gives, I came up with this one that I really liked http://www.4teachers.org/. Check it out, it gives you many resources for your classroom, and the blog section gives you many more websites that are very useful for teachers in all levels.

This particular site is perfect. As a reading language arts teacher I am constantly looking for ways to enhance my lessons and make them hands on. I found the Digital Storytelling ideas to be extremely useful. I have personally utilized the Comiclife and Storybird in my classroom. By using Comiclife, my students were able to create their own comic strip stories for a Figurative Language lesson and they were able to bring there lesson to live. I have also used Storybird and this is a great way to make the students bring their own creative writing to live. They are able to go through the writing process and be able to share their published work with others from all over. Love this resource...

What a great website! Thanks for sharing it with us. I loved the fact that it even breaks it down into questions and you can click on the question and it will give some suggested links. I've used storybird before and the students loved it! I also found some digital story telling websites that I have never seen before. Check this link for more additional resources http://www.pbs.org/teachers.

Wow! Impressive. This is a great website for teachers learning how to use technology in the classroom. I especially like the article called, "Beyond the Classroom with iPads & Mobile Technology". Integrating what interests our students such as ipads and iphones will provide opportunities for higher participation.

This is a great website. I like how this website provides a variety of resources that educators can incorporate in the classroom. I like how this website provides different publications and articles that teachers can access to learn how to teach using multimedia. http://edtechteacher.org/index.php/news-a-media/publications I also like how this website offers teachers to register for free webinars on how to implement iPads and other mobile devices in the classroom. And also provides recorded links of past webinars through blackboard. http://edtechteacher.org/index.php/news-a-media/webinars

This is a great website with a lot of information. It has many resources for us educators to integrate technology in the classrooom. thanks for sharing!

Very first place I checked out on the website was the article on the 5 mistakes people make when using iPads in the classroom, and as someone who had this opportunity last year I can say I made most of those mistakes :) Great resource for those looking to improve technology implementation on their campus.

This website has so many different areas to choose from. I mainly looked at the math links and I found Real World Math. Real World Math is a website where you can find helpful lessons. Some of the lessons also deal with project based learning.

I found the area of Teaching for 21st Century interesting because it states that successful integration in schools requires on going staff development. In addition, it has information on a cohort program that teachers are invited to get enroll in order to learn more about technology.

I like how each link showed what grade level it was for and there were so many to choose from too. The Building a school website was good and so is the Typing one its nice to have a varity in a keyboarding class.

I was able to explore the website it's really nice, I especially like how the learner can create a story and allow others to add or help continue the story.( invention at play ) Basically, by allowing the learner to invent and think critically it will open up the doors to life time learning. http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/ Try this website, it also has an enormous collection of Science lessons that use the method above to enhance critical thinking. It reflects on the studies done about how learning is ensured through exploration and creativity. It is a great website that follows something similar to the PBL model. The lessons pose a question and require being inventive and exploring possible solutions.

Zoom Inventors and Inventions is an interesting website for having your students discover who invented certain items. One interesting fact I learned is that the reflectors that we find on the edge of the road were originally called "cat's eye road reflector". This website states that the inventor came up with this invention because the reflection of a cat's eyes at the side of a road kept him from driving off a hill at night..

Yes, i just viewed this site on someone else's comment. I honestly enjoyed the one about building a school website. It appeared to be very user friendly and perfect for teachers transitioning into the use of technology.

This is a great website. I like that it has a collection of different websites tha have learning activities for students. I really liked the Dance Mat Typing website. It introduces and shows the students the correct way to type. thanks for sharing!

Great link, Marivel. I really liked that the website is divided by grade level and different objectives. I tried several links and find many of the links to be useful in keeping our students engaged. This website would definitely help in helping us create 21st century classrooms.

Marivel Garcia, the list of technology tutorials available for students is awesome! I really liked the one titled, "Using Powerpoint-Animating text" and "Keyboard shortcuts". The students will really like how these tutorials are presented and how easy it is to follow the instructions. Overall, this can be a great instructional unit that students who don't know how to use powerpoint can be trained on following the links at their own pace. This is also a great resource for parents who want to learn how to use powerpoint but never had the chance to learn it before. This is a Great Resource to have,. Thanks for sharing!

Using this website is a great tool for newbies! I believe introducing this to students early on would help provide the "help" when struggling inserting a new slide, setting transitions, or keyboard shortcuts. It may even help digital immigrants transition into using technology. This may provide the confidence they need before creating or incorporating another technology. =-)

Wow I am vrey amazed from looking at the website, great article and yes I do agree for technology newbies this is a great resource website to use. Technology is growing everyday and it's hard to keep up with technology and by using a resource website like this one, I'll really take advantage of this resource for following teachers who are not technology savy.

This is a great place for getting students to create a PowerPoint. I have taught elementary students how to create a PowerPoint the past three summers. I will be using this website with my students in the future because it is easy to follow.

Thank you for the link. This is a great tool for students and teachers to use to get familiarize with the Powerpoint software and other Microsoft tools. There are many teachers in my campus that did get the training to use Powerpoint or Excel or Word when they started teaching, so I believe this website will help learn a few trick in using the software. Thanks again. Blanca

Awesome website.....step by step instructions for students. Good way of learning how to teach the students and students how to follow the online training.

The website provides very good tips and points to consider when creating a PowerPoint. There are times when we want to add so many things to make our presentation, according to us, presentable. In the end we just end up with too many things that distract our viewers.

Greaty website! I especially like the step by step instructions that it gives for the audience to view.

Thanks Marivel! This is a great way to layout the most important aspects of powerpoint. It's a great resources to bookmark in my favorites. Thanks for sharing.

I am the librarian at our school and I have only been there a few moths. However, I think that our school has teachers that are experts in using SMART boards and other projectors and such along with many Web 2.0 tools, but we also have teachers than use minimal technology. As far as the why, I'm not sure about every teacher on campus, but a lot of the teachers I talk to don't use technology as much as they like because they feel pressed for time. They are desperately trying to plan lessons, evaluate students' work, and address the students' weaknesses. I think in order to move forward, MTT's need to mentor as many teachers as possible, the administration needs to think outside the box so that teachers have time to plan for technology integration. This link http://www.ejmste.com/v5n3/EURASIA_v5n3_Bingimlas.pdf is for an article that discusses the barriers to technology integration. It would be beneficial for teachers to read and discuss what is holding them back so we, as a campus, come up with a plan to ensure everyone gets on board.

I am a 5th grade teacher at Adame Elementary and Marc Prensky description of technology integration in education describes my campus. I agree with Adriana when she says that teachers are pressed for time, especially with the STAAR test. There is a total of three computer labs at my school that are rarely used for integrating technology with the curriculum. It seems that the only technology on our campus being used is tutorial programs to enhance test scores. In the four years that I have worked at my campus I don't think we are any closer to the movement of technology integration. Unfortunately, I blame the pressure brought upon our education system, which is test driven. During the President's State of the Union Address on Tuesday he stated, "In return, grant school flexibility: To teach with creativity and passion: To stop teaching to the test :"(West Seattle Herald, Jan. 29, 2012). I think Donna ISD is heading in the right direction with the MTT program. As an MTT I will need to start sharing my knowledge with the staff through staff development and show them how enthusiastic students are to learning when given the opportunity through technology. It worries me that my students will not be prepared for the 21st century if our education system continues to be test driven, rather than technology driven. The link http://www.westseattleherald.com/2012/01/27/news/local-educators-say-obamas-state-union-address-hi is the President's State of the Union Address.

I am one of the Math teachers in Donna high school and technology integration in our campus, atleast in our department, I could say that we are still a little behind. Technology is in place but integrating them in our day to day lessons is still missing. It may not be because we have no idea to inlcude them in our curriculum but I trully believe that some of our teachers still need to be reminded that technology integration should be considered as a tool to provide effective learning experience and success for our students, connecting with them in ways they are native to. And as "digital immigrants" that we are, change is still something to be accepted. "Everybody is talking about technology integration, but few practicing teachers profess to know exactly how to proceed. The fact is that real integration requires change. . . . However, what seems to be lacking is a model that teachers can use to guide them through the necessary changes they will need to make to be successful in integrating new technology into their classroom" (Johnson & Liu, 2000, p. 4). In regards to the question on where in the process we are in our campus i should say we are still in between stages "doing old thing in old ways" and "doing old things in new ways". I do have seen some movement in our technology integration for the past 2-3 years. Student terminals, smartboards, internet access for our students, clickers, are are just some of the technology tools that we are using but integrating them are still in the works I believe. As MTT mentors in the future, I trully believe that we should have the burden to share our ideas and teach our colleagues what we have learned and be an instrument of change, genuine change in our classrooms. http://www.techlearning.com/article/41670

This article neatly summed up many of the barriers facing true technology integration. Several issues resonated with my own experiences. As Elva and President Obama stated above, often teachers primary worry in the classroom is preparing students for state examinations. Third graders spend entire lessons learning how to analyze a multiple choice question and answer it! If students do poorly on a district wide test, teachers go into immediate action to fix the problem. This pressure comes from administration, school districts, and states. In the end, teachers need to produce good to excellent test scores or they end up losing their positions. It's not that teachers don't want to integrate the technology, but at the end of the day, their performance assessment will reflect more heavily upon how their students scored on a test and not how frequently the SmartBoard was utilized. That being said, fully embracing technology could greatly enhance test scores. It will take time. There will be big failures. There will also be big successes! According to Peter Kent's "SmartBoards: Interactive Whiteboards in the Classroom", "The catch phrase 'it is not the technology, it is the teacher' has never been so true as it is with interactive whiteboards. An even truer phrase however would be 'it is not just the teacher, it is the school'." Smartboards are just one example of technology that can be utilized in the classroom to increase test scores. However, whenever trying something new there will be failures. Teachers and their administration must understand that and be willing to reevaluate what they are doing. It takes our students multiple tries to master a new concept; we should allow ourselves the same time to master new technology. Works Cited: Kent, P. (2003). Smartboards: Interactive whiteboards in classrooms. In Retrieved from http://www.lhric.org/

I can definitely agree with Marc Presnsky's article when it comes to the barriers that prohibit technology integration to occur. I think the first step in moving forward with this concept is the teacher. Prensky writes, "..the teachers and administrators famously resist change." "...such shifting certainly initially means more work and pressure on educators, who already fell overburdened." I think with most teachers, it is fear that is hindering them from fully embracing technology. If teachers are not comfortable or are familiar with the integration of a Web 2.0 tool, then they will definitely not be comfortable teaching/integrating it into their classrooms. As far as my campus, Veterans Middle School, I believe some progress has occurred within the last 2-3 years, it has been a slow paced progress with one or two teachers slowly embracing it. This can be attributed part to Technology Trainings provided by the district as well as the Master of Technology Teacher Program that has been provided to the entire district. Those few teachers who have chosen to participate in the program are getting the skills and confidence, so they in turn will mentor other teachers. The only way to move forward is to collaboratively work as a District and as a campus with technology integration in mind. The following article/blog provides eight simple steps to help the classroom teacher integrate technology. "Implementing Effective Technological Change: What a Classroom Teacher Needs." April 2011 by Greg Swanson. http://edtechtoolbox.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-to-support-teachers.html

I am a BIM teacher and I guess it is easy for me to integrate technology because if I'm not using it then I am really not doing my job, because it is expected as a technology teacher. I have heard all kinds of barriers that teachers complain about, one is not enough computers or not enough training but in fact there is training and the bottom line is the change, some people find it hard to change but once they decide to give technology a try and they become consisted with using it the technology starts working for them or at least they will see it that way. Time will always be an issue and we are in education so we must make do with what we have and in our school just about everyone has a smart board and that is a step up from a regular chalk board which is an easy tech tool to engage students. The support must be there after the training because a teacher needs some one there to follow up on their training just to make sure they are implementing the technology correctly in their lessons and of course integrating other applications as well. (Dragula, 2005) Persistance and consistency is the key to integrating technology and not staying behind with the dinosaurs. Dragula, M.ED, J. (2005, April 1). How to Overcome Technology Integration Barriers. Retrieved from Tech & Learning: http://www.techlearning.com/article/42541

The campus has shown much improvement integrating technology into their curriculum. More teachers are becoming familiar with Web 2.0 tools, licensed software and diverse hardware devices. Teachers want to integrate technology however face many challenges such as time to learn the skills and to integrate them into their curriculum, technical support, funding, and software/hardware. Some teachers become discourage and impatient when they encounter technical difficulties; thus, classroom computers become unused. According to Great Schools, many schools are now providing each student a laptop to access classroom curriculum, elementary schools are utilizing blogging a vehicle to collaborate and improve writing skills. Many schools are now using Web 2.0 tools to engage students and enhance student learning. Implementing any change becomes beneficial if done properly. Integrating technology becomes possible when teachers are adequately trained, software and hardware are available, provided continuous support is provided and ample time is given to implement the skill Great Schools. Technology in the classroom: Fad or foundation for learning? Retrieved from: http://www.greatschools.org/students/media-kids/130-technology-in-the-classroom-fad-or-foundation-for-learning.gs

Since the implementation of the Master Teacher Technology Program (MTT) in our school district, I have seen a strengthened professional development in the use of technology for classroom instruction. The MMT program has been vital in creating networking connections with other teachers so that we are not working in isolation in the integration of technology. These small teacher groups are gradually moving forward to demonstrate technology integration in their classes to other teachers that are hesitant or fear it. We are learning from each other and becoming a buddy to someone else in our campuses. By networking, we overcome the fear of the unknown in technology usage and work with what we have in the classroom. Adaptation is critical, since most classroom teachers in our school district only have four computers for student usage, whiteboard, projector, and teacher instructional computer. Boss, S. (August 2008). Overcoming Technology Barriers: How to Innovate Without Extra Money or Support. Retrieved from www.edutopia.org: http://www.edutopia.org/technology-how-to-implement-classroom

My campus has shown improvement in the past couple of years. Every classroom has a document camera and a smart-board! Almost every class has about 4 class computers for the students to use. The computers are not just for programs now. The computers are used for so much more now. The students have the knowledge on how to use the internet as search engines for research. The students know how to use social networking, which sometimes is not a good idea, but they know how to use it. Some times the students know how to use the computers better than the teacher. But we are always learning because technology is always changing. This is awesome because the students get to be more involved and teachers see how the technology helps the students understand the subjects better! I don't agree with this quote from a Maine teacher "You can mourn the passing of handwriting if you must; the kids certainly won't. If they are writing better and more detailed papers, yes, there has been progress." I think that technology is great but sometimes because a computer has spell check students don't know how to spell. Handwriting should still be taught as well as grammar and spelling. Sometimes these subjects are left behind do to computers. I know that in the future handwriting may be obsolete due to technology but it shouldn't!!!! http://www.edutopia.org/adopt-and-adapt

I have only been in my school for this first semester. I have not observed many teachers implementing technology in their lessons. Technology seems to be slowly creeping into our lessons. The use of document cameras and projectors are very popular, but the actual implementation with students is minimal. One of my colleagues mentioned that time is an issue, and it is. We are very focused on delivering and making sure our students understand all concepts taught that we often leave the creativity and inquiry out of our lesson plans. Nellie Deutsch mentions that educators are eager and motivated to implement technology into the classroom, but that there are many obstacles to overcome. I couldn't agree more, we need more time to practice and explore the technologies and programs that we wish for our students to use. http://www.nelliemuller.com/obstacles_to_technology_implementation.htm

Your assignment for this week is to complete the following: 1) Check out the Nerdy Teacher's blog and post a sticky note on the website with your general impressions. (Please know that you are welcome to be as honest as you like, even if that does not agree with my thoughts on the website) 2) Via comment to this conversation, please suggest another blog, twitter account, website, etc... that would also be worth adding to a PLN. Hopefully by the end of the week there will be a good foundation for anyone looking to start forming their own PLN.

Joshua, "The Nerdy Teacher" is an awesome blog where many ideas and things to think about are discussed. I really liked the most current blog posted titled, "The First Five Minutes". In this short blog, the educator makes a interesting discovery about allowing the first five minutes of class for students to "chat" and "catch-up", it helps with students getting ready to learn. This is so true, because we as adults do the same thing when we're getting ready to start a staff development meeting. We first "chat" for a little while and then we seem to ready to begin learning after that. As for another blog that would be great to add to the PLN, here is one I suggest: http://www.edweek.org/ew/section/blogs/index.html It has a more than 40 blog links of everything an educator may possibly want to know and comment about! Check it out for yourself!

@ R. Palomares Thanks for the recommended website, it looks like a great resource.

@ Joshua Thank you so much for sharing this blog. I think I'm addicted. Someone should recommend him turning his blog into a book. I completely fell in love with his "The First Five Minutes" blog post. I am an inclusion/co-teacher and the two English classes I'm in are very different. We usually do "Do Now's" in both classes at the beginning. One, excuse my language, is very anal about starting as soon as you walk in and the other is more laxed. Lets a couple minutes pass for the student to get mentally prepared and then goes about completing the warm up, which I find is more effective. Again, great post! Another great blog I came across is: Thinking in Mind, http://www.thinkinginmind.com/ It goes in detail about the power of networks.

Joshua, great link. 1. I posted my sticky note on the site and shared it with the group. 2. The blog/site I'm recommending is called, The Innovative Educator - written by Lisa Nielsen. She has great ideas on how to use technology for learning. The following link takes you to one of her blog's post named, The 5 Cs to Developing Your Personal Learning Network - http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2011/08/5-cs-to-developing-your-personal.html. Hope others enjoy her blog as much as I do.

Great Link! Lots of information.....this article that I'm recommending is called For 'Connected Educator Month,' Tips From 33 Educators We Admire By KATHERINE SCHULTEN. http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/01/for-connected-educator-month-tips-from-33-educators-we-admire/ These 33 educators have shared and answered two questions: 1. What is one important thing you've learned from someone in your Personal Learning Network (P.L.N.), however you define that network? 2. What one person, group or organization would you recommend every educator add to his or her P.L.N.? They share lots of recommendations....hope you enjoy.

Enjoyed and very interesting. I start my class by showing them a image on the projector and posting a question on the board. They will collaborate among their groups for about 5 minutes and then have a discussion among the class. The images are connected to the objective of the day. I would recommend to get pictures from any website such as flicker.com or google.com

Alberto, this is a great PDF on Differentiated Instruction. I like how it's organized and especially the technology resources provided in this article. I also liked the Reflection questions towards the end of this guide. This was an excellent PDF resource to save and share with others. Thank you for sharing Alberto.

Differentiated Instruction is best to meet the students' needs and in order to reach the students this PDF points out to Use Choice to Engage and Motivate. By providing an array of tools that captivate students' interest the learner will engaged and learn better.

HI Alberto: Thank you for the link. I like that it offers effective technology tools in all content areas to help students demonstrate their understanding and mastery of the material they are studying. I will post this link on school website under "resources" for my campus teacher's to veiw. Thanks again!

Everyone thank you so much for the comments. I really appreciate them and I'm glad I was able to help out.

Thank you for sharing, I just bookmarked this website it is amazing with all its different aspects of video. I was able to view many of the sites and one particular that got my attention was creating an iMovie to reinforce science, math and reading skills. I reviewed the iMovie with a group of 2nd and 3d graders who become engineers and had to work in groups to create a bridge that would stay up. In groups they all discussed the many reasons why certain angles worked better than others. I try my best to record my kids while they reflect and problem solve but I especially feel that having them create an iMovie is a great way to reinforce the concept and allow for long time learners.

This is a neat website! Thank you for sharing!

You're right, this is a great website to bookmark! I like how it shows in a list all of the Educational Video Sites we can use. I had never heard of "Cosmo Learning" but it seemed very interesting. Thank you for sharing!

Yadira this is a great website I am looking forward to utilizing the Drop.io in my classroom especially for the end of day reflection this helps with the 3-2-1 where my students can reflect on what they liked, what they learned and what they want to learn on a daily lesson. Thanks for sharing.

Yadira, thank you for sharing this website with all of these interesting Web 2.0 tools. I enjoyed learning about the presentation, mobile, and video tools that were discussed in each video. I would use Animoto for Education and Picviewr in my classroom. There were quite a few Web 2.0 tools that I was not aware of and plan on visiting the websites. Thanks again for sharing this website.

Yadira, great website and videos. I am going to use web 2.0 tool (picsviewr)for my student's and parent's presentations. I have never used this web 2,0 tool but I like how I can shared a powerpoint or information in differents ways by using pickviewr. I also enjoyed the community tools. It was very informative and I'm going to use different web 2.0 tools that were mentioned on these videos.

Great that you liked the website. I bumped into it while completing an assignment fro 6340 and have found it very useful especially in getting creative in the classroom.

Yadira, this website is awesome because it organizes different web 2.0 tools into separate categories. For example, Presentation tools, video tools, mobile tools, community tools, and related links. Two tools that would be very useful in classroom would be found in the "Presentation and Video Tools" links. I liked the "Picsviewer" found in the presentation tools link because this will to turn Flickr pictures into presentations. The other that I liked was the "photopeach" in the video tools tab. Photopeach will allow for pictures to be uploaded and then create slide shows out of them. I think those two were awesome but there are other great tools to use from this website. Thank you for sharing Yadira!

Thanks for sharing this website, just like Romel mentioned I also like that fact that it organizes web 2.0 tools in a very unique format that allows you to better understand the use of each tool. Two tools that would be very helpful in my classroom is the use of prezi for multimedia presentations and the use of wikis that allow you to collaborate with teachers and students to provide each other with feedback.

Hi Marivel: I really like the website, I especially like the "Daily Dose of the Web" link that offers many learning sites to help engage the student in learning while playing games, working puzzles that help exercise the brain which we all know is a very important muscle to workout!.... I will for sure place this link in our campus website for our students to use. Thank you so much....Blanca

One of the tools I like the most is VOKI. Voki is awesome because it catches the viewers attention since the first time they look at your presentation. One of the tools that I have not used yet but would like to try it out is "PENZU". I actually had never heard about it until now that I looked at this list. This website is a GREAT RESOURCE to have available. Thank you for sharing Alyssa! I actually did not want to put this in a sticky note on the original website page because then it would say that I shared this website even-though it's you who is sharing it.

@ R. Palomares: Is that why it does that (referring to the sticky)? I was wondering why it had said I had shared the website for another link. Thanks!! Yeah, there were a lot of tools I had never heard about on this list. It helps to better understand my knowledge for this 21st century shift.

This website is Super Helpful! I have already shown it to a couple of teachers in my wing and they are excited to have so many site to choose from. I've spoken to my principal to give a mini training on a couple of site in 2 weeks. I defintley will start with Dropbox for the same reasons L Pena explained above (always forgetting my pindrive). Penzu was impressive something our English department will enjoy and Poll Anywhere is great way of getting students started with BYOD in the classroom.

It is great to be able to have all these different sites available with ideas on how to use them. I was able to see how it's even divided into categories, like sites for teaching, sites for planning, sites for reinforcing it is a great website and another one on my favorites list. There is not one that I prefer over another they are all so useful. In my grade level we have become faithful users of Drop Box in order to plan more effectively and have instant access to all lessons. Also Prezzi is one that my kids get easily engaged with we have been enhancing our novels with this. Great job, thanks for sharing.

Amazing article I read on here. I would implement as many web 2.0 tools as possible in my classroom. In my computer lab however students are only working on science components in preperation for the science STARR and end of course review sessions. Students have used stixy notes for note taking strategies. I would highly encourage web 2.0 tools in classrooms and get approval from administration what tools are used.

Great resource website for Web 2.0 Tools. I really enjoy using Vuvox, its an alternative way to present information in a slideshow. Students also have fun be creative with their information. Heres another link for Web 2.0 Tools: Effective Web 2.0 Tools for the Classroom https://sites.google.com/site/educationalweb20tools/

My favorite is Dropbox it is a great way to collaborate we utilize it within our integrated grade levels, 5th and 6th and we have immediate access to any new idea or information that benefits our teaching.

Hey Alyssa, does this use up space like icloud? I know I tried getting my students to use icloud or any other online storage space BUT our campus said it takes up too much bandwidth. Does this work the same?

I am using some of these tools in my classroom, but I was not aware that there were so many Web 2.0 tools. I am going to look into some of these Web 2.0 tools to integrate in my classroom.

Maria the article is very interesting. I think it can benefit our district because our district is very short on funds.We get directives of turning of the light or computers when we are not using it so the district doesn't pay too much money. In all programs, our budget have drastically gotten cut in funds so maybe if we have a 4 day instead of 5 day we can save money. Also teachers would love this because it would give them a break so they won't get burned out with all the changes in our district. Imagine it can be a three day weekend :)

This is very interesting. As a teacher, I would like to move to this 4 day week schedule to enjoy a three day weekend every weekend; however, as a parent, if I were not employed by a school district and worked at a regular 5 business day week, then I would be upset at the inconvenience it causes. I would have to pay extra money for child care services as stated in this article. So although this 4-day school week has its pros its cons also have to be weighed out by those that would be affected. I guess a positive would be that it would create jobs in child care for the fifth day. As an educator, by day 5, I am out of gas. So I can see how working digently throughout the 4-day school week proves to be similar in test scores when compared to those of the 5-day school week.

Maria D. Martinez, this article poses an interesting thought about maybe going to this measure if budget cuts continue, but I don't think were headed that way. The 4-day school week seemed to have a positive effect with this Colorado school district because their state testing scores seemed to increased according to this article. On the downside, the district only saved $150,000 which isn't very much considering the amount of time and effect one day can have on education.  I think that the 4-day school week would be an interesting challenge that everyone will adjust to easily if there's a need to implement it.

I agree with the districts that implemented the 4-day school week in order to save on the operational costs. I believe that having a short week will motivate both students and teachers to work harder and more focused on the tasks needed to be completed knowing they will have a three day weekend to get ready for the next round of intensive work days. Difficult times call for difficult measures and thinking outside of traditional methods will allow us to meet the ever changing demands of a society struggling with an inconsistent and unpromising economy.

I did read the article and this is true that the school district did save a huge amount of income for having four day school weeks. However if you decide to have a four day school week somewhere along the line school districts still have to meet about 187 days of school, so we would be taking a risk of shorter summer vacation or shorter vacations. But hey looking at the data I am for it, but just shorter vacations.

There's been rumors that school districts here in the RGV would do this if the budget crisis got worse, but I have yet to see it happen. There are many other ways that the school districts can reduce costs, however if they did go into the 4-day school weeks and extended the school days, then I guess there would be no difference. Like the article states, it would mainly affect the parents because of child-care expenses, but maybe this would make parents value their childrens' education more, because unfortunately there are many parents that see school as free daycare and as long as they can leave their kids there 5 days a week while they are at work they don't care about anything else. Whatever it is that school districts decide to do to reduce costs will work only if they have a good plan in place along with a good backup plan.

I agree with Victoria. Viewing this article as a parent/teacher would have two different outcomes. We (the U.S.) are already behind in Education. We seem to be cutting funding in the area we are the most weak in; education. If we struggle with students learning the material in a 5 day school week and retaining the information over a two day weekend, how are we suppose to have them grasp and retain in 4 days? I don't believe having a 4 day work week will motivate teachers and students. I believe it'll make it worse. I vote NO.

Once in a while you will hear in the news how the students from the United States compare to those in other countries. The Center for Public Education wrote an article about how the amount of time of school affects our students. They compared top performing countries to the United States and they were unable to find a correlation between less school time and lower test scores. The article also states that some high performing countries have their students spend less time in the classroom than the United States. You can find this article at the following link: http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Organizing-a-school/Time-in-school-How-does-the-US-compare I know at my school district, teaching positions have not been filled because of the budget. Although the savings for a four-day week may be small it is still a savings. The parents that work will be having to look for daycare. Some of these parents are barely making it and this additional cost could be too much for their budget. There are many pros and cons from the four-day school week for the schools and parents. If the school has the funds then I would favor the school week to remain at five days.

Maria, an article worth looking into especially with all the cuts in all departments at our district. Within the district we have been trying to conserve energy but that will only go so far. The state has really reduced the budget for our district which makes it tough therefore, they should consider the 4 day work week. Students would love this as well as teachers. On the other hand, parents would probably say NO.

WOW!!! Kids would be estatic, but that would mean parents would have to look for babysitters. Since parents have to work because of the economy, it would be very difficult. But for those that are stay home parents it's a plus. Do you think it would really help the districts? How do parents feel about it? Here is another article about it. http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/articles/kids-try-to-fill-extra-day-off-with-4day-schook-we/

I think it is awesome that districts can think outside the box and find alternative ways to save money for the district and try so hard to keep their personnel without sacrificing the curriculum. I have been reading up on school districts that are saving money by eliminating bus routes. I think that is another great idea, not only to save money but it helps students, parents, grandparents get their daily exercise. Here is on of the articles that talks about it: http://www.activatenoblecounty.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=75:walking-school-bus-can-save-money-lengthen-lives&catid=3:latest&Itemid=16

Well, I think the idea of having a four-day week has its benefits. The district would help save money by eliminating hours of energy used in the classroom. That in itself could save thousands of dollars by the district. The money saved could be utilized in other areas. Here is a link to some creative ways other districts are utilizing to save money. http://www.mamapedia.com/article/creative-ways-to-cut-expenses-in-a-school-district

This website gives the teacher background information needed when a teacher is planning on utilizing ipads in the classroom. It also details how ipads are beneficial for students with learning disabilities. It suggests for teachers to download applications that students can refer to when in need of help for core subjects.

Wow Jaime, this is a very interesting article about how technology is helping students with special needs learn. The IPADS has proven to be a good technology to support curriculum and instruction for all students. I liked how they are being used to enhance learning. The only state that is not using IPADS to supplement instruction in reading and math is TX but I think as more states across the U.S. are using them, we will be next in using IPADS more abundantly in our classrooms. 

Yes IPads are wonderful for students to use. Students should have the opportunity to be exoposed to all type of technology equipment. Through my program, we purchased Kindle Fires for the students to use when researching information and for other content area such as reading.They really love it and learn to navigated very quickly.

Great! I am certainly going to use this website if everything goes well with the grant writing. I have seen how teacher integrate their lesson and how students are totally engaged. We have to be able to keep up with all the emerging technologies and the generation of children that are in our classes. Try: http://www.interactioneducation.com/index_files/Best-Educational-Apps-For-iPad

I think iPads will be a great tool to integrate in the classroom. They will be more focused in what they are doing using these type of tools in the classroom.

This is awesome if we had iPads to supplement instruction in reading and math as well as to facilitate communication for students with autism spectrum disorders and others who require support through the use of communication devices. Students would be more engaged and would be able to collaborate. It would be a student centered environment where the teacher would guide the learning. Read this artlicle about ipads and how they are being used in the classroom. www.nytimes.com/2011/01/05/education/05tablets.html?pagewanted=all

This is a great article about how the iPad can be used to help the special needs student. One of the apps mentioned in the article can help the students with their reading. By having text-to-speech, the students can practice their reading skills while they read ebooks. There are also so many apps available that the students can benefit from using an iPad in almost any subject.

Jaime, the article sums it up using an appropriate acronym (IPAD) Involve, Prepare, Apply, and Develop to describe the innovating trend to expose student to technology. This technique is already being used in several states to allow students with communication difficulties to express themselves in group interaction using technology to enhance their education experiences. Very informative it puts techniques we are learning into perspective.

Sara, I really liked this website. I liked how on the left hand side you can find the grade levels. Then it lists possible questions on different skills in mathematics. This website can provide many opportunities to practice what the students just learned on a certain lesson taught that day. This is a great resource to share with other educators. Thank you for sharing!

I have used this website. It provides a lot of resources from K-12 and in different subjects, too. Everything is well organized and easy to access.

This site has been beneficial because it has many resources that any teacher can use on every grade level. It is easy to use and navigate through. The students like the games that it has. It is a great site to have.

I use this site with my students and my children as a free time game to help practice a skill they are having trouble in. It is very user friendly. Great Games.

Oh my goodness!! I totally love it!! Love the graphics, love the lessons and am definitely sharing it for everyone to use!

Great website. I have shared it with my 21st Century teachers to use as additional resources after they use the Kidscollege program in my technology classes. Kids college program empasizes in three different contents and math is one of them. Teachers reinforce the skill by using this activities. Thanks for sharing.

Very useful website Love the navagation system on the website and I can use this in the classroom. Great find!

Thank you for sharing the link, I love that the lessons are categorized by grade level and especially that it tracks the student progress. I can use this website for high school students who are using the Aplus program to regain credit on thier own and need additional resources to help them with the problems. This is a great site! I LOVE IT. Thank you again for sharing. Blanca

Yes! HCISD is setting the expections and following through with supporting and implementing Cadre 1 with 21 Century equipment. They are providing the resources and setting guidelines for a successful program.

This is a great help to other districts to see how Harlingen is using technology. Hopefully it can inspire others by your success. Do you think you could add links to the apps you are using into the description of the video?

Brian, in my class the students were using a Camtasia edited youtube video from School House Rock linked on Edmodo with a quiz, but aside from that, I'm not sure what the other teachers were using. I know another group of students were using Edmodo as well, but the math app where they were working on triangles of some sort, I really don't know. I'll ask the district's instructional technologist, she would probably know and I'll get back to you.

The goal of the 21st Century classroom should be to seamless integrate technology in the classroom to enhance and promote learning. You are certainly in the right path. Support ant training would be the next items to get in line to keep the technology working properly, and continue enhancing you lessons.

I wish my district would do something like this. We are on an IPAD for every student push right now but we are not producing lessons to go with the IPADs. I really like what you guys are doing in HCISD. Good Job!

Albert, Wow!!! That was an awesome video showcasing how technology can be used in the classroom. In regards, to your questions! I truly believe that Harlingen has taken the right path to prepare students for the real world.

Albert that is fantastic! I am sure that most teachers and students are very excited. In regards to your question, I would have to say yes and no. The creation of digital classrooms is definatley a step in the right directions, but it goes deeper. Teachers need to receive the proper training and then there needs to be some accountability (PDAS, etc.) to ensure that technology is being used to enhance instruction. I was recently in a meeting, where a veteran teacher continually pointed out the negatives in regards to technology: students are off task, distracted, not listening, not producing, etc. With this attitude, I believe that no matter how "digital" his classroom is, he will probably never take full advantage. I guess what I am trying to say is, the equipment is a huge step, but teacher "buy-in" can make or break the long-term success of the initiative.

Absolutely, Heather. There are so many teachers that are resistant to technology, just like there are many who aren't but are in need of the know how. That's why it's very important for us to model, support, and encourage those who can't to do, and those who don't to want.

Albert, I totaly agree. We have a big job ahead of us, but I am EXCITED to be part of it! Together we can all make a difference.

This is really great, HCISD is on their way to incorporating technology in the classroom. The students were really engaged and excited about learning using their IPADS. At my daughter's school they use the Edmoto to communicate with the teacher and parents and she is only in 3rd grade. The teachers are also creating tutorial videos on objectives using You Tube and the students can go into the district website to view them. I think schools are taking a leap into the technology and having the students use it more for their learning.

I really like the way HCISD is implementing technology tools and the "Layers of Learning" training, where administrators, principals, then librarians, and then teachers who were selected as the Digital Classrooms, are being trained, and will continue the layering until everyone is trained. Having administration understand the plan well is important. There is less of a chance that someone will have a gap of learning, and not implement the Technology initiative well. HCISD has thought this out well. In addition an elementary, middle school, and high school PBL Executive team was selected and trained through the summer. Now anyone who is a digital classroom teacher will go through that training. The tools, including mounted projectors with audio microphones, are not just placed in a classroom without the proper training. It is very exciting.

I agree with Ana regarding training and adminstrative support. I believe this IS the answer for the 21 century classroom.This is the direction we need to be moving or we and our students will be left behind, but with so many teachers apprehensive about using technology in their lessons, success of the digital classroom will require and abundance of on going training and support. Reading the description of Isable's daughter's classroom is wonderful!

Wow!!! Yes definitely, digital classrooms are the answer to the 21st century. We live in a digital world, kids are learning in a more interactive way. It's awesome to see when educators and administrators are open minded and are not afraid of using technology for the 21st century. It is true, allowing the students to use their own technology it teaches them to be responsible, to have a digital citizenship. Ofcourse all teachers have to be trained in order to implement these tools, a school doesn't transform into a digital school from one day to the other, it takes time and it's awesome to see Harlingen ISD is doing that. Adding more digital classrooms every year. Thanks for sharing video with us Albert!

I agree with Dara that teachers must be trained properly on the use the technology and how to implement Web 2.0 tools. Sometimes the trainings provided are to vague and are not enough to get the teachers comfortable in using the technology or software. Teachers need to be provided with the proper training in order to be able to teach the students how to use the technology.

I agree with technology in the classroom, I studied engineering, and it really makes a difference when you have hands on activities, and when you do research, or when you are working with a software that is relevant to what you are learning. The only question that I have is, why do they only offer these types of technologies to academies ? or to a few students at schools, why not having offer this learning in all classrooms at the school. I also believe that technology or this type of classrooms by themselves are nothing, there has to be a well trained teacher that is willing to work this way, instead of the traditional way teaching.

Great stuff Albert! Seems like HCISD is doing great things with technology in the classroom. I was wondering how much technology does the district provide and how much do the students bring into the class? How do you all monitor what the students can see when they bring their own device?

Albert sounds like Harlingen is doing some great things with technology. I would have to say that technology is a big part of the 21st century. If teachers and students are trained and educated properly, technology will motivate, inspire, and create critical thinkers.

Cesar you have some great questions that I would like to know the answers to myself.

Edna, in regards to your question. HCISD began a program called Cadre 1 where they would convert 20 classrooms throughout the district to digital classroom by giving those classroom teachers a cart with 11 IPads and headphones, 1 MacBook, an Apple TV, $50 worth of apps, and all the support necessary from a team of collaborating teachers, administrators, and even an instructional technologist. A few months in, they upgraded us to 22 ipads for those digital classrooms. Last Friday was the deadline for teachers to submit their applications for Cadre 2 next year where HCISD will be adding 64 more digital classrooms, and if I'm not mistaking, there will be 120 classrooms added in the 2014-2015 school year. This is where we are headed, and the success of the digital classrooms depends on consistently incorporating technology in our everyday routine. It's a new step, but it has made a world of difference in our classrooms with our students. Besides, it goes hand-in-hand with what we've been learning the last year and a half in the program.

In addition to all that HCISD is doing, all the Library Media Specialists were sent to Project Based Learning as well as technology training which we have as part of our annual training. This year we attended TCEA and brought back many new apps and ideas to implement in our classrooms. We are part of the layers of learning to help support our campus teachers. The Cadre I and II digital classrooms are well supported on their campus and by the district Technology department and technicians on campus, instructional technologist, Library Director and Library Media Specialists. I know a 5th grade teacher who teaches Math and Science at Stuart Elementary who has implemented the B.Y.O.D. initiative in her classroom. She used the district form ( found on our website) to send to her parents, and students are bringing in tablets, smart phones, and any other device that accesses the internet. The devices supplement the lesson which is standard based or driven, and the teacher facilitates the learning, and monitors their use. Many times students decide when they need the devices during the lesson, or how they will use them to share with the classroom. This teacher is now ready to apply for the digital classroom, and understands that the devices still supplement a well planned Standard based lesson, and that she must facilitate and progress monitoring daily. Cesar, the district has a strong firewall, and certain websites are blocked, but the teacher uses her username and password to get through the firewall if he or she deems the website appropriate. Teachers get 30 minute time increments. Most everything that students need is available to them. Anytime an inappropriate breach happens, the technician is alerted and will come to the classroom to let the teacher know. In this particular classroom, Edmodo is used as well as other district software for Math and Science. Another idea on the use of iPads: For poetry, I used my iPads to introduce Poems, and gave studen

Santos so are you doing this to encourage two-way communciation? I've started using http://www.edmodo.com/ Feel free to check it out. I believe students in the high school level have used it more effectively then MS students.

"The Nerdy Teacher" is a great blog for educators and students because many new updates on education are posted monthly. Thank you for sharing!

Thank you for sharing this website. I agree with the comments that others have mentioned, like; giving students the opportunity to share and collaborate in this website. I am using Edmodo with some of my classes as a way to share, collaborate, assess and keep in touch with my students.

This site would be great to use but unfortunately we can not use it in our district. Under some certain clause chatting or blogging is not permitted. Other than that this site would have been great to use.

Great reference tool but in my district I'd need approval of administrators. I know in my district we use Edmodo for school related purposes. I hope that one day the district I work for will allow more web 2.0 tools available to students.