Mr. B EdTech Blog

Everyplace becomes a learning space with cloud technology. Teachers are incorporating cloud tools and content into instruction in ways that change how they interact with students both in and outside the classroom. They are no longer limited to face-to-face instruction or constricted by class schedules. Instead, teachers are using both tools that are imposed by administrators and more ad-hoc resources. See the full article here https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/03/cloud-changes-school-2/

This video tutorial will show you how to use Taskade. Taskade is an extension in the Chrome Web Store that will allow you to simply create and share task. This task management app is attractive, clean and incredibly easy to use. Use it for; To-do lists, weekly tasks, recipes, and more! Simply access Taskade by click on a new tab in Google Chrome and it will bring you to your list where you left off. Without extension access it here: https://www.taskade.com/ Link for Taskade: http://bit.ly/2nu217x

This article offers some great tips and tricks for formative assessment. Chris Ward’s fifth graders have been practicing long division for most of the period. While some understand it well, others are still struggling. Tomorrow, Chris wants to offer appropriate choices to enable students to practice what they need, so today she’ll use a quick check-in—a simple formative assessment—to determine those choices. There’s a dilemma here, however. If she uses an assessment targeted at the middle of the group, she’ll miss key information. See the full article here https://www.edutopia.org/blog/using-quick-check-ins-measure-student-understanding-mike-anderson

Feature-rich literacy resource offers superb support for readers Pros : Leveled texts and adaptive tools make it easy to tailor the reading experience for every student. Cons : Students will need some help to get the most out of the toolbar. Bottom Line :Access a hefty collection of reliable, ready-to-print, leveled passages that allow you to tailor lessons, assign online reading, and track progress. For more information https://www.commonsense.org/education/website/commonlit

This is an inspiring article series that gives some tips and tricks on how to motivate students to give their best on classwork. One of the most important tips I agree with is to "Stop Giving Trash Can Work." Have students create something that is going to make a difference. Having authentic assessments that has a real-world impact often motivates students to do well. Students should know that they are not just doing this for me (the teacher). Others will see this work as well. Whenever my students know that their parents will see the work they are creating, I almost always see an increase in, not only work quality, but in creating memorable and personal learning experience. See the full article here http://www.teachthought.com/learning/project-based-learning/how-to-get-the-best-work-from-your-students/

In this video, I give a brief tutorial of how to automatically cite sources in Google Docs. This feature is very convenient, allowing students to conduct research from within Google Docs. If you find this useful please remember to like and subscribe.

This video tutorial will show you how to use Google Slides to make simple and fun animations. Google Slides makes it easy for students to present ideas through creating a stop-motion like animation. The process is simple and the possibilities are endless. Darren Maltais presentation link: bit.ly/beyondslideshow20

Flipasaurus is a free tool, created by teachers, for teachers to assist in creating flipped classroom videos, podcasts, and other tools. Check out the website link below. Seriously… what is Flipasaurus? Flipasaurus lets teachers create a private library to store, manage, and share their media files with students. Flipped classroom teachers have a number of unique problems related to hosting video. Flipasaurus solves those problems in a fun way. How does it help? Flipasaurus simplifies the entire video sharing process. Adding content is simple – no Youtube uploading hassle. Share media how you want using Quicklinks, Embeds, QR Codes, or even Podcasts. Mark important sections of videos using Chapters. Web Link: http://flipasaurus.com/info/

Source : http://www.techlearning.com/blogentry/11827

Empowering social E-reader keeps kids actively, independently engaged PROS - An easy-to-use tool with excellent Common Core-aligned lessons built right in. CONS - More science and technical texts would round out the site. BOTTOM LINE - Far beyond the average E-reader, this tool helps students connect and stay engaged while teachers easily measure progress. Learn More Here https://www.commonsense.org/education/website/actively-learn

At the beginning of April (2017), Google released an update to the Google Accounts Sign In Page. This new design will make browser sign-in flows consistent across computers, phones and tablets. For those that use a 3rd party Single Sign On (SSO), you may need to look for an update from them. For More information https://gsuiteupdates.googleblog.com/2017/04/refreshing-google-accounts-login-page.html

Lets start with the main point $329 (for the base 32GB Model). Essentially the same design as the iPad Air, with some hardware improvements. This iPad was released on March 24, 2017. The New iPad's Quiet Release Without much of the usual fanfare, Apple has released a new iPad. There are many names for this new iPad which further conceals its release. Technically speaking, this is the 7th generation of iPad. However, Apple simply refers to it as "iPad." Even more confusing, Apple refers to this devices as the "iPad fifth generation" in their documentation. If I could throw in a little bit of humor, I would almost suspect that Apple learned how to count from Microsoft. Apple iPad 1, iPad 2, The New iPad (3), iPad with Retina (4), iPad Air (5), iPad Air 2 (6), iPad 5th Generation (7)? Microsoft Is this iPad for Education? As one can see from the $329 price tag, this is the lowest starting price of any new iPad ever released by Apple. In my opinion

Take a look at this app, AirParrot 2, which will allow users to mirror their Chromebook screen to an Apple TV. See the full article here https://9to5mac.com/2017/04/02/edutech-how-to-integrate-chromebooks-w-apple-tv-for-seamless-presentations-collaboration/

OpenClipArt provides many amazing copyright free images There are more than 50,000 images in their library to enhance your document See the full guide linked below: http://www.classroomfreebies.com/2017/04/openclipart-google-drive-add-on-guide.html

https://touchstoneresearch.com/infographic-virtual-reality-surging-into-the-classroom/

Take a look at some of the tips in this article. Is your education technology program set up for failure? I viewed this this article as a list of what not to do with your education technology. See the full article here https://www.ictineducation.org/home-page/11-ways-to-deter-colleagues-from-using-education-technology

I was at a conference recently when I heard the term "Return on Investment." Now this is a term I have heard, mainly from the business and financial world. Now that term is being applied to Education Technology. Federal and State programs have contributed a significant amount of money for Education Technology in schools. The revised E-Rate has helped many schools bolster the network infrastructure to accommodate mobile learning devices. However, what have schools gained as a result? This is a good question that many school districts, that have fully implemented education technology. Take a look at the article linked below for some guidance with Return on Investment. How do you measure your efficiency in schools?  How do we make sure that we are working smarter, not harder? How do we measure the impact of teaching? Learning? Technology?  Are we all working together? How do we know? See the full article here http://www.aschoenbart.com/2017/03/return-on-investm

In my online classroom, and when I was teaching in a Face-to-Face school, one of the biggest trouble areas I see in students are in their online research skills. Many students simply conduct a quick Google search (that never expands beyond the first page) and most of time consists of research from Wikipedia, answers.com, or some other website, not suitable for a High School level research paper. Research studies have shown that today's students are lacking in the skills needed to find and synthesize factual information from credible sources. also known as Digital Literacy . Part of the problem is, from my perspective, students do not feel they need help with searching for information online. "I know how to Google," is a phrase I am constantly met with. However, when it comes to conducting research, many times the work shows this is not the case. The article linked below shows some areas where students can get guidance on how to conduct online research more effe

Later this year, Apple will stop supporting out-dated apps in their App Store. In a few weeks, iPhone users may notice messages like this one (see below) telling you that the app you are using may no longer work when the new update is released, sometime around or after September of this year. What can I do to update the app? The answer is nothing. You can't do anything unless the company that made the app release an update. If they don't update, it will no longer work. In 2013, Apple released the first mobile 64-Bit OS on the first iPad Air and iPhone 5s. Apple has announced plans to drop support of any 32-Bit app/device. This includes all devices made before 2013. Devices that will NOT be supported after this year iPad 1, iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad with Retina (aka iPad 4) iPhone 5 and all previous iPhones If you want more information you can check out this news article:  http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/03/15/over-187000-apps-could-become-obsolete-w

There are many tools on this list that I have mentioned before on my blog. See the Full Article Here http://www.techlearning.com/blogentry/11777 Don't forget to like and subscribe to Mr. B Ed Tech!

3 Years ago, I was required to create a blog as a requirement for one of my Ed Tech Masters classes. A lot has changed in the last 3 years, especially in the field of Education Technology. 3 Years Ago: I was still teaching Freshman Global Cultures  My school district was purchasing Chromebooks for teachers to pilot My computer lab was still running Windows XP (on a Pentium 4 Dell Optiplex machines) Google Classroom had yet to be released. I was still using Edmodo for my classes. Apple bought out Beats Electronics and was about to release the Apple Watch Almost everyone was doing the Ice Bucket Challenge Russia Annexed Crimea Ebola outbreak began The first stores to legally sell Pot opened in Colorado The Polar Vortex was dropping temperatures and dumping a lot of snow on Canada and the Midwestern United States Thank you for your continued support of Mr. B Ed Tech.