Mr. B EdTech Blog

“You don’t need to teach us. That’s what Google is for.” That was the message a student shared with a surprised audience of educators during a popular technology conference. The students went on to say, “If I can't figure something out I prefer to watch a YouTube video or text a friend rather than ask a teacher.” The other students in the room nodded their heads in agreement. Many teachers understand this is how today’s students prefer to learn, but what does that look like? See the Full Article http://www.techlearning.com/blogentry/11657

This is a much needed security measure. .js Files are bits of code that can run within a web browser, simply by opening an email. This helps prevent potentially malicious code from running and reeking havoc on your system. For More Information https://gsuiteupdates.googleblog.com/2017/01/gmail-will-restrict-js-file-attachments.html

This update to G Suite has been rolled out over the past 3 weeks. ... You can simply go to Drive > New > Google Docs/Sheets/Slides/Forms > From a template. From there, you’ll be directed to the applicable template gallery, where you can select the template of your choice. For More Information https://gsuiteupdates.googleblog.com/2017/01/creating-files-from-templates-now.htm

There are many times when this has happened in my classroom. This article offers some great tips for how to create resources in your classroom so students are not waiting / wasting time waiting for the next step in a lesson. What’s next? It’s probably the number one question that students ask. They get curious about the lesson, finish a task and are looking for more, or are just eagerly looking forward. Or maybe they were simply distracted or confused. It seems like the what’s next question is asked a hundred times a day. But what the question is often really saying is this: we need you to direct or guide our learning. We can’t go on, individually or as a group, without your direction. My learning--and the whole class--is waiting for more. ... I’m tired of students waiting for me to learn. Here are three tech tips to designing lessons so that the learning never stops. See the Full Article http://www.aschoenbart.com/2017/01/whats-next-3-tech-tips-for-designing.html

This article brings up some good points, making the case to have a proactive approach to posting classroom (and school) activities to social media. For those that are actively prohibiting teachers and schools from posting to social media, this is a strategy that may backfire. If you don't post about your school, someone else will. Will your school be represented fairly? Article Preview "When it comes to millennials, they almost always trust and remember user generated content on social media over what they see in the mainstream media." Twitter, Facebook and livestreaming can all help teachers be the 'storytellers in chief' of school life... Whether or not you believe America’s president should be freewheeling it on Twitter, it appears that we can expect this to continue as he takes office. ... See the full article http://www.techlearning.com/blogentry/11642

From Technology Tidbits, here is a guide of 10 websites that teachers frequently state that they use. Some of these sites have been featured in previous articles I have blogged. See the Full Article http://cyber-kap.blogspot.com/2017/01/10-sites-teachers-really-love.html

Mr. B Ed Tech Blog has added new features and expanded content. Some of the most recent changes have been: Labeled Blog Articles Now artlces are labeled by topic, making it easier to find articles relevant to you. Video Podcasts New URL, blog.mrbwebsite.com  , The old link still works for now, but it would be a good idea to update any bookmarks. With that said, this has been my 400th blog post. From Wikipeida, on the number 400. The Four Hundred (oligarchy) of ancient Athens. an HTTP status code for a bad client request. The Four Hundred (sometimes The Four Hundred Club) a phrase meaning the wealthiest, most famous, or most powerful social group (see, e.g., Ward McAllister), leading to the generation of such lists as the Forbes 400 The Atari 400 home computer. The 400, later the Twin Cities 400, a Chicago and North Western Railway passenger train that traveled 400 miles between Minneapolis/St. Paul and Chicago, Illinois in 400 minutes. The yard number of ...

Alphabet Organizer - Graphic organizer turns letters and words into books Pros: Easy to create custom pages and books. Cons: Non-readers won't be able to use it independently. Bottom Line: Versatile word-wall tool for building vocabulary. For More Information https://www.commonsense.org/education/app/alphabet-organizer

This is article shows an interesting view of technology address the needs of children. For those that view technology as a distraction or "something extra" to a lesson, take a look at the article below. A major criticism I have of most educational institutions is that their primary focus is on students’ intellectual and cognitive development. Too often individual learner’s needs do not enter into the equation of their educations. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a useful model for educators to use to help insure that they are addressing more of the whole child. See the full article http://wegrowteachers.com/technology-can-address-maslows-hierarchy-needs/

Rick Herrmann, Intel’s Director for Government and Education, address questions about how 1:1 can go wrong in schools. Among some of his major points are, what works in one setting may not duplicate well to another setting, one to one is more than just the device, and leadership, with vision, is key. Without these elements in place, it is very difficult to have any initiative succeed. First and foremost, the learning process is the most important of any lesson. The device you use should enhance the learning process. As technology develops, students are able to individualize their learning to their needs. Next, I have conducted research on numerous schools that have succeeded (and even stumbled) on transitioning to a 1:1 model. It is important not to just copy what worked in other places. It is important to see how things will work in your environment. The same goes for implementing technology into class lessons. Each classroom has different and varied needs that need t...

This is a brief tutorial on how to get notified when someone completes a Google Form. There are two ways to get notified. 1) Get notified every time a form is submitted 2) Get notified once a day with the list of responses.

Coding and scripting uses the the higher level thinking skills associated with problem-solving and creativity. Regardless of the career path that students will take in the future, learning the language of computers will be a huge leg up as students transition to the work force. In the Education Technology field, these skills are vital, in high demand, and sometimes hard to come by. There are numerous projections that many software engineering jobs will go unfilled due to lack of skilled workers in the next few years. Student Success in Any Path, College or Career, Involves Letting Students Take Responsibility Computers, tablets, and smartphones are part of (students) daily lives since birth, and technology will likely play a prominent role in their future regardless of their chosen career path. And that will make a knowledge of coding even more important. See the full article here http://www.theedadvocate.org/teach-kids-to-code-and-secure-their-future/

This app is available on iOS and Android. Chromebooks that have access to the Google Play Store can access this app as well. Pros: A very tactile game with intrinsic motivation and extensive addition/subtraction practice. Cons: Sometimes it's more game than learning, and vigorous tapping can cause students to accidentally exchange resources. Bottom Line: Hopelessly addictive addition/subtraction app keeps students learning and learning. HOW CAN TEACHERS USE IT? For students who need extra practice adding and subtracting large numbers, this app will help them. For More Information https://www.commonsense.org/education/app/dragonbox-big-numbers

Reading literacy is key to many subjects, but I feel that reading literacy is especially important to Social Studies. Being able to sort and process, as well as synthesize, information is a vital skill for students to learn. With that said, take a look at some of the tools below that offer reading for the Social Studies classroom. Take a look at the resources I have included below, as well as in the article link. Some tools that I have used in the past include: For Current Events News-O-Matic -  https://newsomatic.org/ Newsela -  https://newsela.com/ Scholastic Upfront (Requires Subscription) -  http://upfront.scholastic.com/ For Primary Sources National Archives (Online) -  https://www.archives.gov/research/catalog Docs Teach -  https://www.docsteach.org/documents Article Preview How are you making connections between your English Language Arts instruction and the work happening in social studies? Incorporating social studies re...

This interactive from EdWeek shows data about students arrested by state. http://www.edweek.org/ew/projects/2017/policing-americas-schools/student-arrests.html?cmp=eml-eb-popweek+01272017webmch#/overview

I was pursuing through some blogs the other day and came across this website. The author has put great time and effort into making this a great resource for teachers to get information about almost any technology for their classroom. Check out the link below. http://www.edtechspeeddating.com/

Source:  http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2016/12/9-fundamental-digital-skills-for-21st.html

A colleague of mine, Allison Ferguson,   has started a new club here at Eureka High School to help students learn vital technology skills. There are many benefits to students learning coding skills and learning how computers work. This club also provides a social aspect with collaboration and teamwork skills that are essential for success in many careers. To Lend Support https://www.gofundme.com/EHSgamingclub Description of Gaming Club The goal of the gaming club is not to just play games, but it is an opportunity for students to come together and learn new ideas incorporated with not only playing the games but making their own.  Students are able to come to a safe environment to explore different types of games and learn how they were made. We are planning on using the money to buy PC's to teach students how to build their own gaming systems and create their own games . We are planning to have guest speakers come in throughout the year to teach us the basic...

See the article linked below for some great education technology resources. https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2016/06/22/librarian-approved-30-ed-tech-apps-to-inspire-creativity-and-creation/ Apps I personally recommend from the list: Quizlet Create review flashcards or games for students EdPuzzle Show a video that asks questions while playing. This is a good tool for checking for comprehension and verifying that students watch the video. NearPod Create an interactive presentation that you present on each student's screen OR let the student go through at their own pace. Interactive features include web links, quizzes, and surveys among more...

When some think of technology storage carts in schools, we are most likely thinking of something like the one pictured above. Take a look at the article linked below to see what storage solutions are currently available for your setting. Also, take a look at some of the homemade tech carts below. The Guide: http://www.techlearning.com/resources/0003/guide-to-k12-carts/70354 Homemade Tech Carts 1000+ iPad Storage on Pintrest:  https://www.pinterest.com/explore/ipad-storage/ Pros and Cons The main pro to each device below is the price is often a lot less than buying a pre-made storage cart. Mainly, the biggest cons to these carts below can be security and setup. These carts do not have locking doors, so the best solution is to keep them in a room that is locked or supervised. The setup on these does take some know-how of carpentry and cable management. It can take a lot of time to get many of these setup. Overall, I find the cost savings well worth th...

For those of you new to and veteran's of the flipped classroom model. Take a look at this article for some guidance on non-traditional ways to get content to students. Elements of these methods can be integrated into almost any model of classroom. Preview The flipped classroom approach has been in the ed tech lexicon for many years. The idea is that students do the hardest part of their work in class and the easiest part at home. The easiest part, of course, is the delivery and receiving of teacher-led content. See the Full Article http://www.edtechspeeddating.com/the-blog/5-non-traditional-ways-to-deliver-content-to-students

Take a look at this resource that arranges digital tools and resources by Bloom's Taxonomy. See the full resource here http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2016/12/blooms-digital-taxonomy-for-web.html?m=1

  A long awaited feature has been added to Google Sheets. For those that used this function in programs like Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets is releasing a feature to manage individual cells in a spreadsheet. This feature was released a couple of weeks ago to the Rapid Release track, and is available, starting today (Feburary 1st, 2017) to everyone else. It may take a few days for this to show up to all users. For More information https://gsuiteupdates.googleblog.com/2017/01/insert-and-delete-groups-of-cells-in.html