Mr. B EdTech Blog

Hello Everyone, Mr. B is taking some much needed time off this holiday season. I shall return this January along with the launch of my improved YouTube channel. Thanks again for your continued support of Mr. B Ed Tech! Did you know? Coca-Cola Helped Shape the Image of Santa In 1931 the company began placing Coca-Cola ads in popular magazines. Archie Lee, the D'Arcy Advertising Agency executive working with The Coca-Cola Company, wanted the campaign to show a wholesome Santa who was both realistic and symbolic. So Coca-Cola commissioned Michigan-born illustrator Haddon Sundblom to develop advertising images using Santa Claus — showing Santa himself, not a man dressed as Santa. For inspiration, Sundblom turned to Clement Clark Moore's 1822 poem " A Visit From St. Nicholas " (commonly called "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"). Moore's description of St. Nick led to an image of a warm, friendly, pleasantly plump and human Santa. (And eve...

See the letter below https://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/2016/12/07/a-special-letter-to-teachers-from-santa/

...The stage was set for 2016 to be the year virtual reality took off. But a funny thing happened along the way to the VR revolution — it turns out much of the content and tools needed to support the new world of VR weren't as fully cooked as the hardware... The power and potential of AR was perhaps epitomized by the debut of Pokémon Go, a classic Japanese video game reimagined as an AR experience on a smartphone screen, sending legions of gamers around the world trekking through parks and alleys — real ones! — for imaginary monsters... See the Full Article http://mashable.com/2016/12/07/year-of-vr-augmented-reality/#QuIpkznlROqE

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/290377/ The White House (recently) introduced ‘1600’, an augmented reality app that provides an interactive, three-dimensional tour of the White House. Anyone with a smartphone and a dollar bill can check it out. Just download and load the app, point the camera at the face of George Washington on a dollar bill and a narrated tour begins, with various images appearing over the bill.

For those that like these lists... 5 Great Mobile Learning Apps (That Are Totally Free) http://blog.capterra.com/5-great-mobile-learning-apps-that-are-totally-free/

Article Preview The act of teaching isn’t just imparting what’s in your head to a captive audience. Teaching is a performance, it’s reading the room and working it. This is where technology really falls short. Empathy is a key area of difficulty for technology and automation. Are the kids at the back of the classroom bored because you’re talking about something they find too difficult, because they know it already, or because you’re not presenting the information in a meaningful way? See the full article here https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/07/can-technology-replace-teachers-google Editorial Fearful teachers and hopeful students have both asked this question at one time or another. As technology improves, the teacher's role in the classroom transitions away traditional instruction. Traditional instruction is mainly what education has consisted of for the last 50+ years. This includes elements such as a teacher in front of students, at a board/screen p...

When discussing "Why study History?" with students, I often used to add a humorous anecdote by saying "How will win at Jeopardy (or insert other Game Show here) if you don't study History?" History accounts for a lot of Game Show quiz questions. Not that is is the only reason why we study History, but students enjoy feeling like they are on a game show. In that spirit, check out the Ultimate History Quiz (from history.com). Players can play single player, mutliplayer, or friend-to-friend competitions. Questions are from various history subjects. Link to the Quiz http://quiz.history.com/ Where the game show contestants go to study http://www.gameshowtrivia.tv/categories/

Check out this app from NASA that helps students explore the galaxy. Pros: Tons of exciting, cutting-edge information for kids to explore, and the stories are supported with beautiful images and videos. Cons: Some of the content may be difficult for younger audiences to understand without extra support. Bottom Line: Weekly updates and striking visuals make it easy for kids to stay informed about NASA's most recent discoveries. For more information:  https://www.commonsense.org/education/app/nasa-visualization-explorer

If you are planning to implement a 1:1 program in your school or district, check out these "Keys to Success" when going 1:1. If you have already planned or implemented 1:1, check your plan against these keys to ensure you have addressed each are in your plan. Article Preview Some of these tips are straight-forward. Some you may have thought of. However, if you are looking for a successful 1:1 implementation in your school or district, it will be best to make sure you follow these tips from Education Technology experts. Know why you're doing it -- What is the expected outcome of 1:1 and how will it impact learning Research and plan Build your infrastructure -- If the technology does not work (or work well) then nothing you do will have an impact. and more... See the article linked below. See the Full Article Here https://www.k12blueprint.com/news/keys-11-success-ten-tips-experts

SiLAS has a multitude of applications specific to teaching individual speech and language skills. SiLAS promotes interest in learning and provides students with the visual and auditory feedback they need to store those skills in long term memory. Most importantly SiLAS provides students with the opportunity to correct their own answers and assess their own performance. Overall, We have observed a significant increase interest in technology based programs in the field of speech and language pathology. For More Information http://www.techedupteacher.com/silas/ Silas Website http://silassolutions.com/

Podcasts are a great way to help strengthen student listening skills. Podcasts are audio (and sometimes video) recordings similar to a radio program or television episode. A wide range of organizations and individuals host podcasts and share their thinking around a topic through this medium. You can access podcasts through iTunes and the Podcast app on iOS devices or through web-based tools. Most individual podcasts have their own site where you can stream each episode directly from their webpage. This article has some great tips for how to use Podcasting the classroom. See the full article below. Full Article http://classtechtips.com/2016/11/26/strengthen-student-listening-skills-with-podcasts/

I came across this interesting article about a teacher using Google Classroom with Kindergarten and thought I would share. Using Google Classroom in the Kindergarten Classroom http://learningwithmrsparker.blogspot.com/2015/07/google-classroom-in-kindergarten.html This next article also has a great resource for students learning Google Classroom Basics from a blog called "Sailing in to 2nd Grade" Google Classroom Basics for 2nd Grade http://www.sailingintosecond.com/googleclassroom/

More resources on Pearl Harbor Here are some online resources for teachers and students about the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Primary Sources (From the National WWII Museum - New Orleans) http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-teachers/primary-sources/pearl-harbor.html Pearl Harbor Historic Sites http://www.pearlharborhistoricsites.org/ National Parks Service - WWII in the Pacific Site https://www.nps.gov/valr/index.htm Library of Congress http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/wwii/jb_wwii_pearlhar_1.html US History.org - Pearl Harbor http://www.ushistory.org/us/50e.asp Pearl Harbor Oahu  https://www.pearlharboroahu.org/

Article Preview For years, students learned to associate No. 2 pencils with going to school. In today’s classrooms, technology is becoming just as synonymous with school as writing utensils. This statement shows what the view of education technology needs to look like when integrating technology into the curriculum. Do you plan your lesson around a No. 2 pencil? Or do you see how a No. 2 pencil could work into your lesson plan? This fall, the Department of Education made it clear that it is trying to provide clarity into the role technology should play in school, particularly for the youngest of learners. See the guidance provided in the article below. See the Full Article http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2016/11/4-guidelines-early-learners-using-technology

Tech&Learning Live in Washington D.C. is holding a discussion panel on December 7th (from 12pm to 4pm EST ). Industry experts will discuss what the Trump Administration will mean for issues such as digital equality and personalized learning. I will not be able to attend as I live in the Midwest, however I do plan to follow the discussion online. Tech&Learning Live site: http://www.techlearning.com/tltechlive/ For more information or to sign up for this conference go to: http://www.techlearning.com/live/program/Washington/38

Check out this article for recommended tools for blended discussion. Tools this article previews are: Google Communities Today's Meet Twitter and more... See the Full Article http://www.aschoenbart.com/2016/11/3-tools-for-blended-discussion.html

The List http://www.fusionyearbooks.com/blog/educational-podcasts/