Mr. B EdTech Blog

http://teacherrebootcamp.com/2018/03/21/humornonsense4learning/

https://www.techlearning.com/tl-advisor-blog/four-tips-for-a-successful-virtual-learning-initiative Here at Dalat International School, we believe that online learning is a vital component of a student’s education—so much so that, before our students can graduate, they must take at least one of their high-school courses online.

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/business/article208452134.html

https://www.techlearning.com/tl-advisor-blog/novel-ideas-for-writing-instruction Whether or not your a fan of pun's this article offers some great tips for incorporating writing into instruction as well as some great tech tools teachers use.

http://www.bigguyinabowtie.com/the-blog/chrome-tablets-much-to-do-about-nothing Acer has announced they will be the first to bring Chrome OS (the operating system of Chromebooks) to a tablet. However, I am not sure that this will make much of a difference in schools. First, most schools that want Chromebooks to function as a tablet, have already purchased devices that can accomplish this. For example, there are several chromebooks from Acer, Asus, and Lenovo that can flip into a tablet, as well as flip back to function as a traditional laptop. Is there an advantage to getting rid of the keyboard on a chromebook?

http://www.bigguyinabowtie.com/the-blog/6-structures-to-make-creation-happen-in-your-classroom Creation encourages the highest level of thinking skills. Technology provides multiple avenues for student creation. How often do you use creation in your classroom?

http://www.bigguyinabowtie.com/the-blog/6-tools-to-bring-video-to-your-classroom I like this article as it shows at least one tool that is compatible with each device most classrooms use. I have used multiple apps on this list and highly recommend any of these apps for video creation. Have you thought about incorporating video into assignments as an alternative to traditional assignemnts?

http://www.bigguyinabowtie.com/the-blog/we-might-be-at-the-end-of-the-free-ed-tech-era This seems to be the same trend that I have observed in the EdTech field lately.   Is the free ed tech era dying? I am starting to think the realities of the business are moving the answer to that question to yes, and I think we may be at the end of an era that can best be summed up as ”The Imagine K12 Era.” When and if that era truly does end it's going to bring the failure of a host of everyone's favorite startups, and we are going to have to start asking, ”What’s Next?.” Unfortunately, what may be next is the same as all the other tech industries: an over reliance on the big 5 (Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon)

https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2018/02/technology-can-give-all-students-voice Holly Clark believes there are three simple things teachers should be doing with technology in order to use it to its fullest: make student thinking visible, give every student a voice and easily share work. Clark, an educational strategist for EdTechTeam, which bills itself as “a global network of educational technologists,” spoke at the TCEA Convention & Exposition about formative assessment tools that help make that happen. “You should be hearing from every kid, all day,” said Clark, who is also a teacher at San Diego Jewish Academy. “What do you know? What do you not know? And how can I adjust my instruction in real time to meet your needs? How can I hear from every kid in my classroom?”

Are you a teacher who's new to Twitter? Looking to start an online PLN (or professional learning network)? Because it's so widely used among educators, Twitter is a great place to connect with others, share ideas, and learn from one another. Use these tips to help you get started, and watch your PLN flourish.  I personally have setup my PLN through my Twitter, Blog, Facebook, and a few other social media sites. I get a lot of great content from my PLN, however sometimes I get the feeling that there is just too much out there and I am missing a lot of great things. A piece of advice offered to me, that has helped keep me from being overwhelmed has been: "Think of Twitter as a flowing river. Walk up to it, dip your bucket in, and walk away. You'll never catch everything, but see if there is something you caught that you can use."

https://pernillesripp.com/2018/04/06/one-week-into-a-phone-free-classroom/ We went phone free in our classroom five days ago.  Five days of no phones allowed.  Five days of fewer distractions.  Five days of being conscious of when we pull out a device, and when we purposely put it away.  Over spring break, I had sent the following email to students and parents letting them know of the decision, worried about the top-down approach I was taking with this decision.  And yet, I felt like we had to try something new and now was the time for the change.

https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2018/03/8-steps-create-successful-modern-learning-space To create a 21st century learning space, leaders must develop a plan that goes across silos and looks at the big picture.

https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2018/03/how-orchestrate-digital-transformation Today, we have a gigabit wireless network deployed at our elementary, middle and high schools, and starting this fall, we expect to have deployed more than 3,000 Chromebooks to our students, teachers and administrators. Given today’s realities, going digital was the clear choice. We now view promoting the digital classroom as a way to attract young families and tech-savvy teachers into our community. Students and parents had been asking for a technology upgrade for several years , and the district made it its business to acquire both state and local funds to finance the project.

https://www.edtechteam.com/blog/2017/02/desktop-publishing-easy-way-with-google/ When migrating from Microsoft Office to Google's G-Suite, some may have a question about what to do with their old Microsoft Publisher files. While these files, by Microsoft's design, are not compatible with any other publisher program, your projects can be recreated in G-Suite quite easily. The app to do this is not one you might expect. It's Google Slides! Yes, the GSuite alternative to PowerPoint is also great for creating Newsletters, Calendars, Flyers, Posters, Brochures and more. I have linked an article above that shows a great way to get started with publishing from Google Slides, however here are some great resources with templates you can get started with. Newsletter Template: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Newsletter-Templates-865442 Brochure Template: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1igOUwhOl1f5n2j4FoCXdYq7fOhO1fYqLE931Gw-WS0M/edit#slide=id.p How t...