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This video is an example of hosting an app night to bring parents, teacher, administrators and students together to learn how the use of technology can change the way we learn.

Lu, I think this is a good way to bring the parents on board and help them understand just how technology can be beneficial for students if used correctly. Many people see technology as just a tool that can be used to play games or socialize with others. There are so many ways that technology can be used by teachers to enhance their lessons.

Great way to emphasize that parents are also responsible for their child's education. It should be, "What did WE learn in school", and not just "What did YOU learn in school?".

Lu, I think this is a wonderful event that schools can host in order to promote a better understanding of technology and its application within curriculum amongst students, parents, and school members. I honestly had never thought about a school hosting such an event but it makes perfect sense. It's as if they are hosting their own type of mini technology conference with a variety of sessions. It's great to see them taking this type of initiative. I'm sure many parents feel in the dark about technology and also about what's occurring in the classroom so this event is a great way to get them in the loop and more involved. I wouldn't doubt that there is also a significant amount of parents who don't view technology as providing learning opportunities so this type of event can help show them otherwise.

Lucretia I think this is a great way for parents to get involved in their child's education. Technology is very important as for parents as well as for the children. It is the way of the future. It is very important for parents to learn as much as they can about technology so they can help their children with their education and have a better understanding about technology.

José, I definitely see the greater point within your comment. Parents will have longer lasting access to their child's work through Web 2.0 technology mediums. Through communication sites such as wikis, or discussion forums students are able to save their work online, and get immediate feedback from their peers, and or their parents as well. Students are able to edit their work, by adding or removing ideas as they see fit, and then responding to others. This helps enhance the learning process and moves information from the short-term memory to the long-term memory. This is because information is being delivered in a continually conversational format. Research has shown that conversational learning styles are more powerful for cognitive processing. Overall, Web 2.0 technology tools are highly beneficial, and a quicker line of communication to use in education.

I always hear that parents need to get involved more in their children's education and this is an interesting idea to facilitate that. Rene, I love the idea of what did "we" learn in school as some parents do not take ownership of educating their children also. Many of the parents of my student cannot afford technology. There is a misconception about districts being wealthier than others and this is something we need to keep in mind as kids are bused from everywhere. This would be a good thing for Los Fresnos though as they are implementing "Bring your own device." In a perfect setting both the child and parent would be on the same page technology wise. This may be a good start for districts to implement that.

How many parents of the students you teach understand, know how to use or have the time and opportunity to learn about all the new educational apps that their students are introduced to every school year? I would venture to say not many. The opportunity to bring teachers, students and parents together to view what their student will be educated with is a step in the right direction for total support of technology integration. When my sons asked for help in a subject and I couldn't help them, I felt defeated as a parent. So I usually taught myself and then taught them---by the thrid child I was good! imagine putting the power of knowledge in helping their child learn in every hand of every parent. Very powerful!!

Parents are a child's first teacher!

Rene, I'm not sure if you recall from some of the previous classes that we have had together but this is something I have been saying for years. We cannot and should not expect for teachers to do our jobs, we as parents need to be the first teachers to our children. I am a firm believer that education begins at home and it's enhanced and molded at school by our teachers. Our teachers are our front line of defense when it comes to education; they are the ones in the trenches fighting the battles so that our children become good productive citizens.

Rene, Excellent point. I'm sure students, particularly the younger students, enjoy having their parents help them with their homework should they become stuck at a certain point. It might be discouraging for both the student and the parent, knowing that they can't go to their parent for help due to any technological gaps. I think it's vital for parents to be involved in their child's education and take the necessary steps to learn more about technology. For example, parents can begin to take these steps by attending technology workshops as shown in the video.

Amanda, As parents we need to be abreast to what is going on with our children in an out of school. My daughter (10 year old) and I both have an iPhone and you'd be surprise just how much I have learned from her. It the typical, "no Dad, not like that, you need to do this, let me show you." It's amazing how much they can learn with hand-on, she has that phone 24/7 and she really knows how to use it to its potential.

Martin, I agree with you, our first teachers are our parents. We learn from them values and morals and other important skills in life. However, our teachers are like second parents because they help us to become better individuals as well as to prepare us for a better education, job and our future.

Martin, I can definitely relate even though I'm not a parent at the moment. I see first hand the use of technology and children when I spend time with my nieces. The 2 year-old is already a whiz at navigating the iPad. It makes me wonder what advancements in technology there will be by the time she starts to attend school. I do think it is vital for parents to keep up as well so that they they can be involved with their children's education.

Parents (Digital Immigrants) do have a steep learning curve when in comes to trying to keep up with their children (Digital Natives). Schools can only hope to provide enough of an orientation so that parents can feel comfortable with their children having technology put in their hands. Students have been placed in the role as teacher to their parents to overcome language barriers in the past and now to overcome technology gaps. All is good!

Yes, us that are parents are our child's first teachers. We teach them everything from learning how to walk and how to behave. We can not depend on teachers or anyone else to raise them. Their teachers are there to help them move foward but it up to us to do the rest. We cannot expect them to do it all. Us as parents need to step up and get engaged with our children.

Martin, we need more parents like you. You should be very proud that you care about your girls' education. Children grow in the image of their parents. Keep it up buddy; it's a life-long commitment.

Parents expect that their students learn using technology, but fail to see how that technology is integrated into the curriculum. When parents learn how this is happening they are much more likely to encourage their students in using technology and also learning themselves. "Although most parents do not know how to help their children with their education, with guidance and support, they may become increasingly involved in home learning activities and find themselves with opportunities to teach, to be models for and to guide their children." Roberts, 1992. In Online Resources for Parent/Family Involvement. ERIC Digest by Ngeow, Karen Yeok-Hwa, 1999

This is really an awesome idea - especially with the principal being front and center. That is really spectacular. What a way to get parental buy-in!

We grow on the image of our parents, in more than one way.

Lu, I think this is a great post. Too often, I find myself taking technology for granted, and more importantly, that both children and their parents use it as much as I do. All too often, I see children that can use all of the major social media forums, but it's rarely focused with an educational hue. I'm glad to see that more parents, teachers, and students are taking a more active interest in using technology and its potential.

Martin, I have to agree with your post. Although my children aren't quite as old as yours, my two-year old son can use both an iPhone and an iPad like a champion (so much so that we need to disable any network connectivity whatsoever). Children growing up in this age are light years beyond knowledge-wise and this gap between generational knowledge will only increase. I only hope that parents and teachers are both ready to help guide their children and students to use technology in more positive and focused ways.

In order for this to work all teachers, parents and students need to be on board. My classroom is very technology driven however, I do have parents who prefer the pen an paper and would prefer their child to be in another classroom (since that is how it was done in their day). In order to move to this model the school and administration need to be ready with training's and making sure ALL teachers are willing to do it.

The issue I have with young preschoolers having a cell phone comes to play because I have to ask, when is it age appropriate for kids to have a cell phone.With the average preschooler probably better at playing a video game than riding a bike or tie a shoe. Today's parents have difficult decisions to make whether it is to provide up to date technology to their kids or teach them soft skills like riding a bike. I think we need to ask ourselves, what we are doing to prepare or kids for life in a digital world? It seems we only look at what is gained in the digital world but what is lost during the process is also as important. With cyber bulling, cyber crime and internet safety a concern for most parents.The question then is as parents are we ready to tackle these issues or not?

Now days technology is taking over everybody uses technology for everything. I remember 10 years ago when I was coming to school for my undergraduates classes everybody was using paper and pencils and now nobody uses them anymore now they ipads, tablets and laptops. However, we need to accept that technology is the future and we need to get used to it.

You have an excellent point Daniel. Administration has to buy into the idea of using technology in the classroom. Maybe then ALL teachers will be more willing to get trained. Educator's apathy sometimes can be the greatest barrier.

This article provides a prime example of how social media can be integrated into a physics classroom, yet may be easily applied to other types of science fields.

Justin, The millennial generation has transition from other social media sites to instant sites like Twitter,Vines SnapChat, etc.I believe this is happening because of the instant feedback they receive from these platforms.Why not use these sources for learning in the classroom. For example,a teacher could develop a instant game that incorporate Twitter as platform of learning. The teacher ask a question and the first student that answer it correctly wins.The teacher could have a computer displayed on a screen and showcase the interaction to the class.

Justin, I really like how the social media applications are finally moving beyond just "Facebook" or "Twitter". Savvy teachers are now using these tools to be more proactive in their learning styles, and promoting greater engagement in their own students. I don't know about you, but it's teachers like Michelle Burgess that will help teach students far beyond a single class. Great usage of podcats, by the way. Being that most teachers seem to have more students than they can realistically keep up with, by having a lesson plan that students can continually reference as needed is a great idea.

Justin, Thank you for sharing this article. I am currently not a teacher but I am very interested in the flipped classroom and how social media can be used to facilitate this strategy. As the article states, the flipped classroom allows for students to complete their lower-level thinking for homework and engage in higher-level thinking in the classroom. I think it's much more effective to stray away from the regurgitation of facts in the classroom and have the students become actively involved in real life applications. One of several benefits of the flipped classroom is that students will have access to watch videos or read blogs as many times as needed. I think this is very beneficial for the students since not all students learn at the same pace. This can allow for the instructor to provide additional guidance to those students who may need more one on one interaction. Additionally, students themselves will also have the opportunity to provide assistance to their peers. One of the possibilities I see with the flipped classroom are students collaboratively working on projects through wikis or conducting self reflections on blogs.

Justin, The use of Edmodo in classrooms has really encouraged student to engage in technology. I did a project in one of my earlier EDTC classes and found that Edmodo was so very easy to use. Since the project was completed, Edmodo has come out with some new features that make it even more fun and easy to navigate. Edmodo added badges, much like what Dr. Butler is letting us experience during this class. There are so many different ways you can incorporate badges into your curriculum. One of the ways I have seen teachers use these is not only with their students, but with other teachers. The Tech department host mini seminars on using a variety of technology and if the teachers attend and try the new technology..Bingo earn badges. The teacher actually compete to see how many they can earn. If teachers do that what do you think your students will do?

Justin, Thanks for using that article. Edmodo I think encourages students to get engaged a lot. I used Edmodo for a project I did for my under grad. I saw that it has a lot of features that students and parents can use. It lets students blog, view grades and do assignments. As time changes I think that we will be seeing more and more of technology being used in schools. I think that is a great tool to use because look how we use online discussions a lot. The kids will be ready for the next step in life.

Justin, I enjoyed reading your hosted article. I too try to incorporate social media in my lesson plans by keeping a YouTube channel that the students in my classroom can access at any time. My YouTube channel exists to help assist my students in everything from English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR) Meta-cognition strategies to 'How to write a STAAR Expository Essay." These are all modules that I have uploaded, and created within my graduate course, as I tried to align them to the needs of my 7th grade classroom. I only have a few followers, as the students seem a bit shy to add my channel for whatever reason. But my students have told me that they have viewed my lesson modules, and that it's helped them learn how to begin to like ELAR. Students, or really anyone that views my channel can leave a message or inquiry. In addition, social Media and the use of technology is the way to go, and in particular why I picked the Educational Technology degree for graduate studies. Furthermore, the article you hosted mentioned what flip classrooms do. They teach the upper level in the classroom setting, but then provide lower level content to bridge any educational gaps from the day's instruction. They do this by way of supplemental online lessons and social media access. I definitely feel that students need to be able to communicate through social media outlets, because learning is an ongoing process and instant communication mediums (such as the one we are currently using to post) are critical to today's learning society. It's just the way things are done now a days- the way of the world. Here is an additional website that has an interactive slide share that discusses the benefits and disadvantages of social media in education- http://www.slideshare.net/ErnestoLuna1/social-media-in-education-advantages-disadvantages-13575997

Sean, You make a good point here with your response to Justin's posting. Education has moved into another realm, and social media is where it's at. I recall back in the day my aunt used to have a huge collection of Encyclopedia Britannica's. They were so expensive, and oh so bulky. Even though they were a wealth of information, they were oh so time consuming to go through. They didn't provide feedback to any questions, and they definitely weren't high tech. When the internet revolution exploded, we began to gather and share our information differently. We not only relied on text, but started to get feedback and communicate with others over our findings through social media outlets. We look up relevant topics to our questions, and ask others online for their experiences and expertise. This is now how we learn in today's internet age. Social media communication is so fast paced, that the way we gather information and formulate our ideas is now influenced by the smaller world the internet has created. Your absolutely right- smart teachers are jumping on the social media bandwagon, and those that aren't- are being forced to anyway by their administration. Social media is the way we communicate our educational needs in our communities, and beyond.

The article brings out the fact that many of these Web 2.0 tools can be incorporated into classrooms of any subject. I believe teachers need to feel comfortable regarding the tool being safe for student use. Edmodo is a good example of an education friendly tool which replicates other, more popular tools which provide less opportunity for sheltering students from exposure to social networking risks. This provides teachers a safe environment to introduce safe and responsible practices to students.

And easy to use. I was looking at stats, and there are currently more Edmodo users than there are BlackBoard users. I would have to say that is a pretty good deal. I know that teachers who have used it tend to move their classes to that format. It also prepares the K-12 student to be proficient in using an LMS - so we are preparing them for their future.

I allow for students to use the calculator abilities of their cell phones if the lesson doesn't call for tasks beyond a scientific calculator; however engaging applications, such as Poll Daddy, are great ways to integrate the cell phone in the classroom.

I allow for students to use the calculator abilities of their cell phones if the lesson doesn't call for tasks beyond a scientific calculator; however engaging applications, such as Poll Daddy, are great ways to integrate the cell phone in the classroom.

How about students using a blog to write as a writing assignment about a specific topic or as a daily diary outside the classroom! Blogger and WordPress are two biggest blog sites that students could use for free.

Jaime, I currently work with both Blogger and Wordpress and they are both excellent tools for writing assignments. I use Blogger in a class that I'm taking where each week the professor will post an article about some technological dilemma and upon reading the article we answer his question and we also reply to our classmates. I use Wordpess in both of the classes that I'm teaching and it works in a similar manner, students read their assigned chapter, they answer the question that I posted and they are required to comment on three of their classmates' comments.

Jaime, I've used Blogger and Wordpress for self-reflection in a couple of my previous courses in the EdTech program. I have to admit that the very first time I was asked to self-reflect in one my courses, I completely viewed it as "busy work". For me, it was just another task amongst the many that would need to be completed that week. However, I've found self-reflection to be such an important part of the learning process as it has enabled me to gain more insight as to how I learn. The added bonus is that both Blogger and Wordpress are extremely easy to use and can keep a great record of your journey throughout the semester.

Amanda, I agree with your statement about the "very first time I was asked to self-reflect in one my courses, I completely viewed it as "busy work." I do wish now I had a copy of all the many post I have made over the course of this program, whether in a blogger, someone else's blog, discussion board or Wordpress. I think maybe in the future UTB could find a way to keep all the post by students in one central location or just encourage students to preserve the ones they have written. All of those compiled would be a excellent way to view the growth of every student.

Justin, One of my favorite tools for cell phone use in the classroom is Poll Everywhere. Here is a website that explains how it works www.polleverywhere.com/how-it-works It is fun, easy and my students like it. You can poll the class to see if the majority have read the material, pre-quiz questions, feedback about the class, feedback about the mood of the class or simply to introduce a new topic. Try it, your students will love it.

Justin, The use of cell phones in classroom is a good tool. Almost every teenager has a cell phone to use. This would get them to participate in different activities. I am sure that are different apps that they could download on their phones to use in class like blogs, or a planner to keep track of all assignments. The calculator is a great tool that cell phones have. I find myself using it frequently!

Laura, Smart phones in the classroom can be so great to use as a teaching tool. Students can access the internet in the palm of their hands, and then communicate through social media websites. It makes a big difference when the students are using technology to get their ideas across. We are teaching them with social mediums that will strike their interests and keep them engaged. As educators we need to change with the times, and social media is definitely the way to do it.

Los Fresnos is moving into the BYOD model - I know it is getting mixed reviews.The important thing is to make sure that the teachers have received appropriate training. Of course, that is always important but too frequently, the last thing they think of!

I'm a believer of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) with incentives for acting responsibly and monitoring to ensure those not willing to adhere to standards loose their privilege. Unfortunately, most IT departments are unwilling to risk opening up networks, but security solutions are becoming affordable and the possibility of BYOD could soon be a way of leveraging technology at school..

Dr. Butler, As a teacher in Los Fresnos CISD, I'd love to give my two cents on their BYOD program. I encourage the use of BYOD in all my classes. Most of the devices that are brought are cell phones. At this point though, less than half of the students actually bring a device. This can create a sort of segregation as it seems that most students with devices aren't from low-income families. In my class, I try not to make too many resources strictly online-only. Because most students only have cell phones, it is difficult for them to type on word or google doc type of software. In our teacher support training for BYOD, we learned about different apps that could make students successful. However, if I publish flash cards for review on a app, for example, then I might as well print them out too for students who don't have access. Since I'm limited in time (prep period is very short), it would be a waste to create that digital resource when I could be using that time to grade papers, call/email parents, and doing many other things I don't have time to do during the day. In addition, I do have many students who don't have internet access at home. So, that's a challenge I didn't see coming when I started this year. I think BYOD is a good start but will really be effective when equality ensures that everyone has at least one device. I also didn't mention the time I spend telling students to put the 'Flappy Bird' game away or their Snapchat app.

Daniel, I agree with your comments. BYOD is a great idea but it is also limiting. Even if students and parents have the funds to provide a device, there will be some parents and students who will not abide by the guidelines. I would still encourage all teachers to attempt to use mobile devices in the classroom. Some students may be encouraged to use them for educational purposes once they see how much more fun the subject matter can be. Managing the classroom may be more challenging but it is worth it.

I like the idea of BYOD. However, I think this it will be hard for the students because not all the student have devices. It will be great if the school district will have tablets or ipads for students to uses them during school time. This will be so good for the student to get them familiar with technology and get them ready fro the future.

I believe that with time BYOD is going to be supported and widely available. I have to say it is a powerful tool and way of learning when you have technology at your fingertips. The options increase, the way of learning increase and overall learning enhances at a higher level. I really think that BYOD can help out individual learning and decrease performance gap in the classroom. Yet, for some and at times many it is difficult to afford even a tablet or computer. At this point more and more students have access to the internet and devices that can access the internet. More and more consumers are buying smartphones and are allowing there students to have one at a very early age. It is going to take time for equality to quick in but I ask myself how do we overcome this issue at hand at this moment? Any thoughts? What works? What doesn't work at this moment in regards to utilizing BYOD with all students in the classroom?