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As the school year kicks into gear, try these painless ways to incorporate technology into your teaching day.

This article gives teachers multiple ideas of how to integrate technology into their curriculum. It allows for multiple ways to incorporate technology as well as having the students engage with technology in the classroom. The ideas that the article presents are very interesting as well as fun for the students to do. 

This article states that having computers in a classroom does not constitute it being a tech integration classroom. It offers several easy steps that teachers can take to integrate technology into their classroom. For example, accessing the weather forecast or showing a today in history clip. 

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.

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.

This ins interesting because Microsoft is planning to integrate Skype within Outlook.com, Excel, Word, OneNote Online and PowerPoint.This will give users the option to collaborate with other people on a shared document. This will help a lot with students in a classroom setting or for online or hybrid courses. 

This is a very interesting article. I liked the options it has to collaborate with other people on a shared document. I think it would be very helpful in the classroom setting.

A justification and practice of teacher blogging for developing a personal learning network. An interesting read for pre-service teachers and teachers who are seeking a rationale for blogging. This blog post also points to best practices in blogging such as the use of grammar and the citation of images or use  of images from wikimedia commons.

A justification and practice of teacher blogging for developing a personal learning network. An interesting read for pre-service teachers and teachers who are seeking a rationale for blogging. This blog post also points to best practices in blogging such as the use of grammar and the citation of images or use  of images from wikimedia commons.

This prezi provides a break down of how technology integration can be a success or  failure. It emphasizes the importance of making the teacher comfortable and knowledgeable so they can teach their students. It also provides ways in which teachers can avoid failure and be successful like access to tech support, training, and personal usage.This presentation reported that Including teachers in the decision process makes them feel vital which is another way of making a successful change and they will be accepting to student assistance. Familiarizing yourself with a computer eases the stress of unfamiliar territory because you face trial and error on your own. Collaborating with other educators will alleviate stress and gain knowledge so the teacher can pass this knowledge on to students. In a nut shell integrating technology starts with the teacher.

Not every school has the resources necessary to take their students on an airplane . . . or spaceship tour. Having the iPad app can help these students and show them how things are inside and out. Fun app for the students. They have virtual sites for many historic places.

I think bringing ipads into the classroom and giving students a chance to see a virtual version of a famous museum or historical place is an amazing teaching too! Most students may never get to the actual place but that doesn't mean they should not get the chance to experience it, whether it be virtual world or not. It makes the information to students more interactive and they can connect history to the places they see online.

Google Earth Pro is now free! After reading the comments it was a little confusing. It appears there is a licensing key which is GEPFREE (google earth pro) is my guess for the acronym. A facet acquired by obtaining the Pro version is also being able to record and share journeys which could be very useful for field trips or even if a teacher wanted to show what life looked like in another country to students. The videos Google Earth Pro is able to produce are mindboggling clear and vivid. The image is nearly flawless and all of it can be recorded and uploaded to Youtube if a teacher needed to pull it up quickly to show to the class. In the Pro version, you are also able to find out the voter turnout rate, where there are more Fair Trade farms, and if the population is higher in one city to the next. If you are having students conduct data gatherings, they can also import their results to Google Earth Pro to show them how the findings they obtain can be put to real world use. There is also traffic maps incorporated into this version which is a convenience to anyone I would like to say. If there was a property dispute in an old time non-fiction story, the students could look up to see who was right with the app. You can also look at how states looked thirty or forty years ago. And of course, you can still look at the universe. This was a very informative article written by Matthew Hughes.

4 things you didnt know about google earth pro Go on a tour and show all your friends Find out more about the world Find out how bad the traffic is in your neighborhood Solve property disputes For 11 years, Google Earth has allowed anyone with a fast Internet connection to explore the world from their desk. Without having to step foot on a plane, you can see the dizzying skyscrapers of Manhattan, marvel at the reddish splendor of Uluru, or even take a trip to space, all for free.

It is an old tradition in Finland to teach a school subject dealing with the use of machines, materials, processes, techniques, and tools. Since 1866, educational sloyd (handicraft) has been a compulsory school subject for both boys and girls. In the technology teacher education program at the Department of Teacher Education in Rauma, University of Turku, students are able to take the curriculum for either one or two teaching subjects. In addition to technology education, a second teaching subject, such as an elementary education or mathematics, entitles them to teach in primary school as an elementary or mathematics teacher. In the technology teacher education program, students study a variety of technologies, mechanical and electrical engineering, product design, project studies, research methodology and statistics, educational sciences and ethics, developmental psychology, didactics of technology education, administration, evaluation, and sociology of education.

Oh My Word! can help students create their own personal dictionary online. It is a chrome extension that lets users select words they find online, and define the words to be saved into a personal dictionary. This could be a great tool for students of any age, and for either short- or long-term projects. Even for personal use, the tool looks like a great way to expand your vocabulary!

Cool. This would be great for students doing research when dealing with unknown or new words that may pop up in their studies more than once. Great way to refer back easily and get a better understanding for the words.

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.

Report Comments Bank is a Google extension app for educators. The app helps teachers shorten the amount of time to write progress reports and it allows teachers to create, save and edit reports throughout the year. Being able to save the reports throughout the year also saves teachers hours from creating end of the year reports. The app is quick and easy to learn and saves teachers a lot of time from writing report cards. This app would be helpful for us because it would help future educators complete reports on time and also have more time to create lesson plans. Reviewers rate this app with five stars for how convenient and how easy it is to use.

This looks like a great extension. Teachers time seems to always be stretched very thin. By helping teachers save more time they can put more time into classroom lessons and activities. I agree that this is a beneficial extension for any teacher.

Wow, that's extremely useful in many ways! Of course any way to save time for a teacher is key. But this also gives the teacher an easy way to track progress of individual students, and really see what areas they shine or need an extra push in. I could also see this as a great way to pass a student off to the next grade level. Upon the new school year, it would be great to give a comprehensive report of the students prior year to each teacher they are starting with. This way, if the student is experiencing the same struggles, there might be a different solution the new teacher can use, or if something worked in the past they could try that method again!

This article talks about the many ways that diigo is helpful in a classroom. The main helpful thing is that by using Diigo, students can bookmark important websites and access them from school or home and the students will always have access to this data.

There are five effective ways to integrate technology. Identify relative advantage to see if there is a need that a given technology too can address and search for the most appropriate tool or process to meet that need. Determine objectives and assessments by asking what will students be able to do?, how long will it take for them to do it? and how are they going to demonstrate that the objective was met?. Design instructional strategies by taking into consideration students readiness levels along with their physical and effective needs this will help create appropriate student groupings and a flowing activity sequence of instruction. Prepare the instructional environment by being aware of the classroom layout, available materials, and preparing a backup plan for when technology issues arise. Analyze results and make revisions by making conclusions about what worked and what didn't work.

This is an excellent post that discusses the pros and cons of digital reading versus paperback reading. You may want to read up and think about how have your students optimize their digital reading if they will be reading off of ipads instead of paperback books.

In this article Education Secretary Arne Duncan highlights how the achievement gaps within our schools can be closed by the increase investment in technology use in all classrooms. He states that 2/3 of teachers wish they had more technology in the classrooms which is being limited due a high percentage of schools not having adequate bandwidth or access to high-speed internet. As future teachers who are learning now how to integrate technology into our classrooms this article is important to our class because it shows that most schools do not really have the opportunity to utilize this knowledge. But, the actions of Duncan and other reforms are trying to ensure that we as teachers receive the professional development and resources available so we can integrate our technological knowledge in the classroom.

This article talks about Google Expeditions, which is a new technological tool being used in the classroom. Google has created this for students to be able to take virtual field trips. Many schools cannot afford to take their students on field trips but now they can without leaving the classroom. Teachers are able to pause throughout the tour and discuss with students what is happening or what they are seeing. As of right now this has been given to some schools free of charge. Overall, we can think of this as something like Google maps but ten times better! 

This article provides helpful tools or "life hacks" for fellow teachers to help them with their instructional technology lessons. Ed tech teachers are always looking for easier and more effective ways to communicate with their students as well as help their students with an understanding of educational technology. This article simply provides an aid for those educators in the pursuit of better tricks to improve everyday life.

This article peaked my interest: Within the next ten years, de Blasio is requiring all of the city's public schools to offer computer science for all students.These courses will only be offered as electives. The main concern for this is finding enough teachers that are properly trained and training others. Computer science jobs are among the fastest growing. They are also the some of the highest paying jobs.  Computer sciences are primarily dominated by white or Asian males. With these courses being available to all students in elementary schools, hopefully the number of minorities and girls who will be interested will increase.

I can completely relate to this article for the fact that I get confused trying to incorporate and use as many tools as I possibly can. It's important to remember that there are many tools out there, many of them made for the same reason built in different ways. It's good to listen to your students and get feedback about which tools your students like and don't like. The reason so many tools are out there is because different variety of teachers and students like different ones. After reading this article I understand it's also really important to remember to assign one tool for one thing and not to overlap and cause confusion for you and your students in your classroom. This can be especially important in elementary classrooms where students are just becoming friendly with certain tools. Although the majority of the tools out there can do a variety of convenient things, it's better to assign one tool for them all or one tool for each.