Mr. B EdTech Blog

These are some random thoughts I have written down in my reflections throughout my teaching career about why I teach. This is a question I often asked myself, at the highs and lows of the teaching process. Here were some of my answers. Seeing someone go from "I CAN'T DO THIS! I'm just not smart enough." to "I did it!" Keep someone from making the same mistakes others did. (Written after a rather difficult student decided to drop out only a few weeks before graduation.) There are few moments of personal satisfaction greater than a lesson executed to perfection. ("I love it when a plan comes together!" - Col. Smith, The A-Team) A reflection from 3 weeks in to my teaching career I called on a student today. I said, "Josh can you answer this question?" After a brief awkward pause, the student next to him said, "You know his name is NOT Josh right?" I said, "It's not???" "I'm Zach,"

See the TedTalk by clicking here I have saved the best for last. In my final post of the 12 days of EdTech-mas, I take a look at what some would call, the most important part of the teaching process, building a connection/relationship with your students. Everyone of us have been impacted by a teacher because of the connection that was developed between teacher and student. "Students may forget the lessons, but they remember the teacher," I have often heard some say. Check out these resources below for tools to help develop connections with students. 5 Tips for Better Relationships with Your Students http://www.nea.org/tools/51057.htm  - "Protect the Student’s Self-Esteem" 6 Tech Tools that Boost Teacher-Parent Communication https://www.commonsense.org/education/blog/6-tech-tools-that-boost-teacher-parent-communication Technology Ideas to Connect Students to the World - EdWeek http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/global_learning/2015/04/technology_tools

Since the invention of the film projector, videos have been a powerful learning tool in education. For the most part however, the learning experience was static, or one-way. The student sat and watched while the video presented the information or lesson. In modern times, with pushes for student centered learning, videos are still a useful tool but now have been adapted to be more interactive. Take a look at the resources below on making and presenting interactive videos. EdPuzzle https://edpuzzle.com/ Play Post It https://www.playposit.com/

Here are some resources for education technology. Department of Educational Technology: (U.S. Department of Education) https://tech.ed.gov/ Resources for STUDENTS/FAMILIES:   https://tech.ed.gov/for-students-and-families/ Resources for TEACHERS :  https://tech.ed.gov/teachers/ TeacherVision Top 10 Classroom Ed Tech Resources https://www.teachervision.com/top-10-educational-technology-resources ISTE Resources https://www.iste.org/resources

http://www.techlearning.com/resources/0003/top-10-for-plns/70824 What is a PLN? A PLN is a professional learning network, usually online where a person can go for help, tips, and advice in his or her professional field. For example, Mr. B Ed Tech ( www.mrbwebsite.com ) is my PLN where I go to get help, tips, advice, and contribute my experience for other technology and education professionals. Out of my experience, my favorite tool by far has been Twitter. For those that I know personally or face-to-face, I use facebook, but I also have a Mr. B Ed Tech group on there as well. Pinterest is a great place for teacher resources, but I have not found it helpful to me personally. I do post some things on there, but I rarely find anything on there. The most helpful to me has been email list-serv(s). This is my first stop for tech issues that puzzle me. I usually post a question and within minutes someone posts back with the solution or a "me too" comment. Those "me to

http://www.classroomfreebies.com/2017/12/classroom-technology-rules-printable.html Take advantage of these tips and tricks to share with your students digitally or print out. Another suggestion I would have for this is to make your technology rules into a lesson and have students create their own posters for your classroom technology rules.

Mobile Holiday Apps for Spreading Cheer from Shelly Sanchez Terrell See More Here http://www.techlearning.com/blogentry/12536

This article has 12 ways to use Google Cardboard in your class. http://ditchthattextbook.com/2016/08/18/12-ways-to-use-google-cardboard-in-your-class/ 3D History In Google Cardboard https://historytech.wordpress.com/2016/12/01/3d-history-exploring-the-world-with-virtual-reality-google-cardboard/ Google Expeditions Lesson Plans http://www.shaileyminocha.info/news/2016/10/23/google-expeditions-and-lesson-plans Google Cardboard is very inexpensive. The only issue can be getting devices that you can use with it. This is mainly due to price. However there are avenues for getting devices for education with grants or through education pricing.

Check out the tips here: http://www.techlearning.com/blogentry/12534

"The hills are alive with the sound of music." Be honest, some of you sang that in your head while reading. The Rules There are many ways of incorporating music into the classroom and the benefits of doing so are almost endless. There are simple rules to follow if one is going to implement music into the classroom. Be Consistent  Do Not Overuse It  Have a Purpose  Make Sure It Is School Appropriate  One may note the similarity of incorporating music to incorporating technology into the classroom. Most important, music must serve a purpose. For example, I used  music to prompt the bell ringer in my classroom. When students entered, I would already have the music playing. This would let students know to get to work as soon as they entered. When the music ended, students knew they had about 30 seconds before we would begin discussing the bell ringer activity. This was a daily use of music, following the consistency rule. However, this was the only activity I used

A bit belated, but still much appreciated. Happy Computer Science Education Week! Computer science skills are not supposed to be limited to the computer science classroom anymore. With the increasing importance of digital literacy for both work and personal use, computer science skills should be integrated with lessons in every classroom. Example: Computer Science Hits the Basketball Court https://www.blog.google/topics/google-org/tech-slam-dunk-helping-students-discover-code-hidden-genius-project/ Coding is evolving and influencing how we think about all industries, including fashion, music and art. Check out this link below about Computer Science First: Sports https://csfirst.withgoogle.com/course/sports/video/15730 Code your Own Google Doodle https://csfirst.withgoogle.com/hoc2017-teachers This resource comes complete with teacher guides and resources to help kids code their own Google Doodle. Edu in 90 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP7Bvyb3ap44ZF6q

A very special thank you to those who have sacrificed for our country. Please take some time today to remember those who have lost their lives in defense of their country. From Wikipedia National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, also referred to as Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day or Pearl Harbor Day, is observed annually in the United States on December 7, to remember and honor the 2,403 citizens of the United States who were killed in the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7, 1941. More Info: 

Video is still one the the most power learning tools that teachers use. Now that each student has a device, this offers various possibilities in offering individualized instruction through video through differentiation . Students can view the video at their own pace . If they need something repeated or need to pause the video, they can do so. Students can be watching different videos from each other at the same time. For example, I can even edit my videos or make a new video for students by ability level. How to get started? Make your Video (WeVideo) Publish your Video (YouTube Channel) Present your Video to Students (EdPuzzle) WeVideo - Tutorial - How to Make and Edit Videos on a Chromebook From Teachers.Tech on YouTube How to Create a YouTube Channel From Teachers.Tech on YouTube Make your Videos Interactive with EdPuzzle From Flipped Classroom Tutorials on YouTube

There are many options to consider when purchasing a device for a gift. Here are a few helpful questions to ask yourself before purchasing any device. What will the device's primary purpose be? What will the user need to access on the device? Will this device need to be used for work/school? Notice, I didn't ask any questions about the technical specs. When buying a computer, as well as integrating technology into the classroom, you should focus on the purpose, not the device. What will the device's primary purpose be? There are some common answers for this question. Your answer will narrow it down quite a bit. Web-Browsing (Social Media, Email, and Google), School Work... Some will use a computer primarily for social media / e-mail. I recently posted an article about over 70% of global web traffic is routed through either Google or Facebook. However, if this is all you are doing, you don't need a top of the line machine. For example, using a MacBook

Over the next 12 school days (until my school lets out for Christmas), I will be posting a series of articles about different devices and their various educational uses in the classrooms or at home. Some will have techie information as well as teacher information. I will also post about device gift options.

Check out the Article here http://www.techlearning.com/resources/0003/using-an-lms-for-blended-learning-professional-development-and-online-teaching/70827 What a Learning Management System (LMS) can do for you (or your district). The LMS platform becomes the one stop shop for resources and curriculum in your school or district, from an online textbook to teacher professional development (PD). From my experience, this is an essential item for all schools to have to promote 21st century learning. See some of these tools below if you'd like to get started. LMS Resources As with everything I post, I should let you know that this is NOT a paid endorsement for any of these tools. Schoology - A great cloud based tool to implement as your LMS. Moodle - If you want a free on site hosted option as your LMS Google Sites - You can create your own Content Management System (CMS) in Google sites, combine with Google Classroom to make it your LMS as well. http://www.ditoweb.co