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I enjoyed reading this article because it provides some great information on how students can use mobile devices to enhance their own learning. With mobile devices, students can find their own answers and learn at their own pace. The classroom can become more student-centered. The students are no longer tied to desks while the teacher stands in the front lecturing. The students can work closely in groups throughout the classroom collaborating on projects. The teacher can walk around the classroom to answer questions, assist students, and remediate, if needed. The students are more engaged and, therefore, retain more information. The teacher will simply draft a technology blueprint that follows the school's lesson plan directive. The concept seems freeing for everyone.

This insightful article written by Bill Smoot stresses the importance of the ubiquity of digital devices impeding the growth of the individual. In today's day and age we are all hyper aware of society's dependence on media. This realization led educator Bill Smoot to assign his students the challenge to spend 48 hours, from 7:00 p.m. Friday to 7:00 p.m. Sunday, without electronic media. The result, "by their own admission, their soulfulness and their capacity for human connection are limited by their media-obsessed way of life." I think these findings and this article as a whole prove very helpful to our class, as although the power technology lends to us is undeniable, it has slowly disconnected us from numerous realities and relationships in our own lives. We soon will have to face this specific issue within our own classrooms. I chose this particular article because I believe we need to remain aware that we are going to be teaching a different generation, one that lives and dies by their digital devices. As educators we need to be prepared to react to this aversion to real life experience and connection. We need to strike a balance for our students so that they realize that technology is provided to enhance our lives, not consume it.

Technology integration is the use of technology resources like computers, mobile devices like and tablets, digital cameras, social media platforms and networks, software applications, the Internet, and so on in daily classroom practices, and in the management of a school. This article discusses the successful ways you can incorporate this into the classrooms for your students.

This article has many different points and examples of technology integration. They start off by defining technology and quoting "Effective integration of technology is achieved when students are able to select technology tools to help them obtain information in a timely manner, analyze and synthesize the information, and present it professionally. The technology should become an integral part of how the classroom functions -- as accessible as all other classroom tools." When effectively integrated into the curriculum, technology tools can extend learning in powerful ways. The article also brushes up on types of technology integration, such as online learning, blended classrooms, project based activities incorporating technology, game based learning and assessment, Learning with Mobile and Handheld Devices, Instructional Tools like Interactive Whiteboards and Student Response Systems, Web-Based Projects, Explorations, and Research, Student-Created Media like Podcasts, Videos, or Slideshows, Collaborative Online Tools like Wikis or Google Docs, Using Social Media to Engage Students, and the levels of technology.

I like that this article is very detailed in how to effectively use technology in the classroom. According to the article, technology incorporation should be seamless, second-nature. The way we use pen and paper today should be the way technology is used. We don't stop to think about how to use the pen and paper in a class; ideally, the same thing should be happening in blended classrooms.

Cant find your old notebook?. Only have your phone on you but need to study for a test on a train? Not a problem.  Evernote is an application that allows you to access your notes anywhere at anytime from any device. Ever note web clipper extension takes the Evernote application one step further. Evernote makes studying for a test and organizing information easier then ever. When you find a good site or good pdf, clip it and save it in your evernote file forever from anywhere. Random computer not a problem just log into your account and you have all the notes you have ever taken on it organized in notebooks. 

I've used the Evernote app in the past, but with this chrome extension, it seems much more useful! The combination of the highlighting feature and the anytime access definitely improves the tool.

This article outlines the benefits of using technology to go paperless. Gwynn Moore, a media technology teacher in Aurora, Colorado, uses Google Classroom with her students. She also uses Google Docs. WIth over 200 students, they help her keep organized. There are many benefits: students can work at their own pace, grading is efficient, templates are easily designed, the sharing of documents, opportunity for collaboration, and voice-to-text writing abilities. Cloud-based tools improve the learning environment.

The article explains how a teacher's decision to go paperless affected the learning process of her students and her performance and organization as a teacher. Using Google Classroom made the grading process easier for her because she did not have to fight with "unreadable" handwriting anymore. She was able to grade the assignments from any device or computer without having to carry tons of paper around. And she was able improve her classroom's organization by keeping track of her students assignments in the cloud. This allowed her to view, grade, and comment on their assignments without damaging or losing them. For the students, it was beneficial as well because it gave them independence and ownership over their own learning. They were also able to work at their own time and space. Google Classroom proved to be beneficial for both the students and the teacher.

This extension is also available as an app for either iphone or android. It is wonderful for people (busy students) always on the run. It can easily organize lists and reminders for you. When you use it as an extension you can click on the extension and quick view all of your tasks. It can sync your tasks and lists to your other device. You can add reminders, red flags, and prioritize your information, etc.. In addition, you can voice your requests into the app and organize that request.

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I found this article perfect because it relates to what we are presently doing in class. Basically, it is describing how popular iPads are becoming in classrooms and how younger students are using them as well. It gives a list of the to six apps for creative writing. This is useful information because some student have a hard time writing down ideas on paper, or even writing at all. These apps could help students think of ideas, strategies, and give them useful tips for writing. This article shows technology integration in classrooms through the use of iPads.

I found a great article about using iPad Apps to enhance creative writing for students. Some students struggle with writing. Often, they have difficulty formulating their ideas and putting the pen to paper. For these students, writing is daunting task. However, this article highlights 6 useful Apps that can help to promote and inspire students to create their own narratives. These Apps may be a fun way to enhance student learning and many of the Apps are free in the App store.

I found this article in the Twitter forum we used earlier in the week. This short article discusses the pros of mobile technology in the classroom setting. While the article never names certain technology to use, I immediately thought of our iPad lessons. Hands on technology in the classroom gives students a sense of ownership of their work when they can interact and move at their own pace when using mobile devices. Not only does this benefit students, but it is an advantage for teachers as well. It is easier to track students progress and gives flexibility to teach different learning styles.

Andrew Marcinek Director of Technology and EducatorU.org Co-founder, Boston, MA An acceptable use policy is a document that is present in every school district around the country. The purpose of this policy is to provide safe parameters for exploring digital resources and using school-issued devices properly. The article talks about the importance of developing internet use guidelines that students can understand by avoiding overly complicated words that may confuse or intimidate students. These guidelines should focus on how students should use the technology rather than focusing on what they should not be doing. The article also focuses on the importance of involving parents and helping them understand how their children should be using technology. Furthermore, the article mentions the importance of being aware of the new apps and their implications in the lives of students. This allows school districts to stay one step ahead and decide whether or not they want students to have access to these apps.

This post talks about integrating relevant information into the use of technology in a classroom. This means going beyond teaching the kids how to use the device and download apps but applying technology to specific areas of learning. This includes collaborating with the teachers of certain subjects and creating google docs to be able to openly see students progress as well as create ideas. They also talk about the SAMR model and i'll post that word for word because its an important model that was adopted by the school in the article for this idea. Substitution: Technology acts as a direct tool substitute, with no functional change. Augmentation: Technology acts as a direct tool substitute, with functional improvement. Modification: Technology allows for significant task redesign. Redefinition: Technology allows for the creation of new tasks, previously inconceivable.

I found this blog post/article about 17 "awesome" educational Chrome extensions. The blog is created by and geared towards teachers. The Chrome extensions listed seem to be really useful, especially "Note Everywhere", which allows users to make notes on webpages that will be saved on that webpage for the next visit.

I really found this interesting how it has all of these guides to different technology based things. This will definitely help other teachers help their students with this technology based subjects needed.

Class Dojo allows for teachers to improve behavior by collecting data and generating it for the teacher. Furthermore, this information can then be shared with parents and administrators. Teachers can give their students feedback on their behavior, as well as send quick messages that resemble texts. It also syncs across your devices which is nice for accessing the extension at home.