FPS Integrating Technology into Your Classroom

"To ensure that educators choose technology for the right reasons, here are three questions you might ask before choosing technology for the classroom."

"I (Alice Keeler) polled some students who have been using Google Classroom and here are some tips they came up with for students using Google Classroom."

"I am looking to use as many Google Apps and products as I can…because it will be easily accessible. Students will only need one username and password to access their course. We ALL know that makes life easier, for everyone! I think Google Moderator is definitely worth trying out. I love the fact that I can simply share the URL for my "series," which I'll refer to as a discussion board, with my students.

"Would you be interested in the ultimate list of free tools for teachers? At the following post you will find 321 Free Tools for Teachers separated in 18 educational technology categories. Enjoy!"

50 popular literacy, readaloud and articles sites like newsela.com (Newsela | Nonfiction Literacy and Current Events). Top 3 alternative sites are: http://nces.ed.gov/naal/, newsinlevels.com, dogonews.com.

"The alternative ways suggested here are important. If you look at the suggestions analytically you will see that they center around actively engaging students in the learning task through a variety of ways including, critical thinking, brainstorming, concept mapping...etc."

Need something to brighten your walls and engage your students? Scroll through our poster series to find free eye-catching and educational images that you can download, print, use and share. Browse our ever-growing collection of data-rich educational infographics, on topics including dyslexia, fluency, technology, and more. Through these infographics, you can absorb information at a glance and expand your knowledge about diverse topics relevant to education.

"An infopic is a photo with text layered on top that is designed to communicate a message. The message might be a summary, quote, definition, notes, data, weblink, hashtag, or other informational tidbits. The information might come from a conference, workshop, activity, lesson, video, book, a conversation, etc. Your blog, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Google Plus are great places to share infopics. The process of creating an infopic forces you to listen or read information and decide what is most important to remember and share. Learners of any age can make an infopic!"

"Technology is way too often given a bad rap by administrators and educators as a distraction or a hazard for students.  When technology is integrated intentionally with foresight and with intention of addressing specific growth-oriented goals, it increases the potential to help students learn, develop, and grow in unique ways.  It can be used to help address the needs as described by Maslow."

"A professional learning network is a vibrant, ever-changing group of connections to which teachers go to both share and learn. These groups reflect our values, passions, and areas of expertise. Teachers build PLNs the same way they build any network: by investing time to find and connect with people they trust, who have shared interests and passions. To me, a PLN includes the organizations, communities, and individuals who help me learn and grow as a professional. My PLN also provides me with a broader perspective on education-beyond my classroom, school building, state, and even nation. It is a blend of face-to-face and digital interactions with professional buddies, mentors, and rockstars."

"Tackk is a simple way to create beautiful pages on the web. It's your very own page, flyer, blog post, or poster."

I have found that many traditional methods of classroom management readily translate to a technologically rich curriculum - with some modification. Great article on making the most of your classroom layout with student devices.

"Piktochart is a great web app that allows students to create products that other students will actually WANT to read. It lets students combine visuals, text and interactive web elements into a dynamic, eye-catching presentation. It's free (of course!). It's powerful. It has tons of options. And the products created by it can be shared in many formats. So why not jump in and give it a shot? Here are 20 ways Piktochart can be incorporated into the classroom."

"There are some things-certain methods, activities, and tools-we still assume can be enhanced with a little computational flair, when really, if we stopped to question ourselves, we'd find them best delivered the old-fashioned way."

"Otus is an easy-to-use, yet powerful classroom tool that brings the best iPad and Chromebook education features together into one secure environment, and uses a single login." Not only for the iPad...works well with our PLDs. Has easy interface and is easier to use than Moodle and more features than Google Classroom.

"Turn online videos into interactive learning experiences that engage students and deepen understanding. This is similar to EdPuzzle but has some other features that EdPuzzle does not have."

"One teacher followed two students for two days  and was amazed at what she found."

"The Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) illustrates how teachers can use technology to enhance learning for K-12 students. The TIM incorporates five interdependent characteristics of meaningful learning environments: active, constructive, goal directed (i.e., reflective), authentic, and collaborative (Jonassen, Howland, Moore, & Marra, 2003). The TIM associates five levels of technology integration (i.e., entry, adoption, adaptation, infusion, and transformation) with each of the five characteristics of meaningful learning environments."

"In an age when distractions seem to make readers more reluctant, one must wonder how many students actually do it."

This website will help you get started using OneNote and integrating it into your classroom with your students...very powerful tool. "With Microsoft OneNote, educators can create digital notebooks that support academic standards and outcomes across disciplines. Students may use OneNote across content areas and grade levels. OneNote also supports research, collaboration, information management, communication, note taking, journaling, and other academic requirements."