4 Reasons Why You Should Attend an EdTech Conference

Click here to see the article: http://classtechtips.com/2016/05/15/4-reasons-why-you-should-attend-an-edtech-conference/

I really like going to tech conferences. I think that most I like meeting with other EdTech professionals at these conferences because it is nice to finally meet with someone who understands the job, offer different perspectives, and usually have a tool I have not discovered that can make life so much easier.

My perspective touches on some of the reasons mentioned in the article linked above. I really enjoy meeting with the faces behind the companies I've been working with. However, a word of caution about EdTech conferences. They are usually sponsored by many different tech companies, with the intention of gaining your (or your school's) business. Education technology is a very competitive field and you may be constantly being "sold" tech tools rather than "shown" tech tools. Before you commit to a tech tool, make sure the tool fits your curriculum/pedagogy. There are a lot of cool tools out there that may be tempting to get, but may not work out the way you want.

Comments

What Comes First, Education or Technology?

http://www.ictineducation.org/home-page/2016/2/24/what-comes-first-education-or-technology This is a good article about putting education technology in perspective. "What has happened is that the existence of the technology has enabled you to reconsider some of your teaching methods." Technology has sparked a critical change in education. When integrating technology in education, for the most part of the 20th century, the focus was on adding technology to already existing teaching practices. “I want to get people to start from the notion that there are educational things that they want to do, or educational processes that they would like to engage with, and then - and only then - talk about the technology.”— The death of the digital native... Technology is inspiring us to change what we are doing in our classrooms and how students are learning. Here is an example of how technology can inspire a change in teaching practice: 1990s Tech Example: VCR usa...

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Here are some lessons/tips and tricks I have learned throughout handling chromebook repairs in my district for the past 5 years. Background This is our first year with 1:1, although we have had Chromebooks in our District since 2013. During that time, we have handled all damage repairs in house at our school. With the implementation of the 1:1 program, we have over 1,700 chromebooks assigned to our students and staff. In 2017, we implemented a student help desk that assists with chromebook repairs. We have 3 different models of chromebooks, Samsung XE303Cs, EduGear R4, and Lenovo N22. Our teachers each have a HP 14 G3 Chromebook. 1. Don't throw anything out 3 or 4 years of collecting chromebook parts has substantially reduced the amount of parts I have had to order. In turn, this has reduced the cost of repairing devices. Over the summer, when I was repairing chromebooks, many parts were salvaged from other chromebooks that were too far gone to repair or were beyond repa...

3 Tips for Classroom Discussion Backchannels: Class Tech Tips

A backchannel is a space where students can post questions, respond to prompts and participate in a discussion without raising their hand. You might set up a backchannel for students using the free tool Today’s Meet or have older students set up a Twitter account and tweet using a shared hashtag for a virtual class discussion. If you haven’t used backchannels before you may want to check out this post for a quick overview. So what does this have to do with BrainPOP? BrainPOP is a favorite resource for helping students dive into a range of topics. Read more on the link below. http://www.techlearning.com/blogentry/12230

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