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"Welcome to the world of the iPad! I hope that you, like I have, will find this amazing device transforming in your approach to the utilization of technology for teaching and learning. Hopefully, we will soon be saying goodbye to the fifty pound backpacks our students carry around, and all of their textbooks and learning resources will be available on this one, small device! Whether you are currently using iPads in your school or for yourself...or if you are just beginning to explore the possibilities, I hope you will find resources here to benefit you in your journey. Enjoy this site, share the information with others, and feel free to contact me with any questions or to share your experiences! Below are some of my "musings" as I reflect on where we currently are in our journey with the utilization of technology with our students. Enjoy!"

Comments on "Top 12 Tips to Create an Effective School Website" In today's Internet savvy society, sophisticated school websites are increasingly becoming the norm. To stand out from the masses, a school website should have compelling content and visual appeal, be engaging and informative, and reflect the spirit and activities at the school. "

This podcast is a recording of a conversation over skype on May 14, 2010, with Dean Mantz in Sterling, Kansas, Dean Shareski in Moosejaw, Saskatchewan, Cyndi Danner-Kuhn in Manhattan, Kansas, and Wesley Fryer in Edmond, Oklahoma. For the past several years, each participant has taught pre-service technology classes for undergraduate college students. In this conversation (which runs long, about an hour and a half) topics ranged from how course activities are selected, structured and assessed, epiphany or "a-ha" moments in teaching, changes which have been made to the course or how the course is taught (mixing face-to-face, online and blended modalities) and how to best leverage face-to-face interaction opportunities with students. LOTS of great ideas here. Check the podcast shownotes for most (if not all) of the referenced websites, curricula and resources from our conversation. This podcast is labeled (part 1) because we plan to continue the discussion in upcoming months!

Another great classroom reflection by Langwitches on 21st Century Learning and skills. 

Informative blog post reflecting upon Blooms' Taxonomy with use of Wikipedia.

Welcome to the BalancEdTech wiki! We believe educators must be knowledgeable and comfortable with curriculum, pedagogy; and technology in order to "teach". Our blog posts, articles, presentations, workshops, and consulting focus on helping educators weave curriculum, pedagogy, and technology into engaging and rigorous learning. We also believe people learn best by doing AND reflecting, both of which are integral to our workshops. For more information, please click on the links to the left.

iMovie has made a surge into classroom instruction, in part because of the rapid growth in the field of digital video and partly because of Apple's superior software design that offers tremendous ease for the user. Like all educational technology, desktop video editing is not a ubiquitous solution for all of the challenges teachers face in today's classroom. Teachers using digital video, in particular iMovie, have provided an abundance of anecdotal evidence for encouraging individual expression, spawning creativity, revitalizing content, promoting collective knowledge construction and individual reflection, and offering students of a variety of backgrounds and experiences to engage in authentic learning.

"iPads have been purchased and have arrived for this 2011/2012 school year. It is always our intention of providing the necessary professional development for new and innovative technologies. This wiki is the plan for just that. Ideally we would buy an iPad for every student. Well, unfortunately that is not financially possible at this time. Therefore, we've ordered just a few here and there. Our goal this year is to form a research and development group that is willing to learn all about the iPads and how they can be effectively used in the classrooms. This group will research apps that match the Common Core Standards, try the apps out with their students, then record their reflections. The research of this group will be available online via a Google Presentation similar to the one linked here. "

the amazing work of Rich Colosi and his merry band of talented first graders, enjoy his latest video highlighting reading and iOS devices.

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. Together, the five levels of technology integration and the five characteristics of meaningful learning environments create a matrix of 25 cells as illustrated below.

I know that the summer months are a great time for reflection, but I also know that many of us are thinking ahead to the start of our school year.  I wanted to share an activity called, The Marshmallow Challenge, that has been popularized by Tom Wujek's Ted talk called, "Build a Tower, Build a Team."  After watching his presentation last summer, we performed this activity at a faculty meeting early in the year and I though it was a great way to have some fun and launch some great discussions.  We have worked very hard over the past few years to build a collaborative culture and I knew that this challenge would lead to a great discussion about the power of teaming.

About iTeachwithiPads iTeach with iPads is a collaborative learning community eager to share our journey with our 1-1 iPad initiative as we reflect on our first year of implementation.

"Presenter: Dana Watts Location: New Delhi, India Twitter: @teachwatts Presentation Title: Creating ePortfolios with WordPress Presentation Description: Imagine a world where students are no longer judged by a lone essay, an individual transcript, or single letter of recommendation. ePortfolios allow students the ability to showcase their life-long learning and potential for growth well beyond the confine of the classroom walls. ePortfolios have the potential to transform the way educators access student readiness for future courses, advancement and college admissions."

worth the read, take time to explore this blog.

READ this!!