Mr. B EdTech Blog

#ISTEProblemSolvers is a hashtag developed by Techlearning.com designed to to be a social media hub for teachers in regards to education technology. http://isteproblemsolvers.techlearning.com/ There are many great posts from teachers, vendors, and industry professionals.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicebonasio/2018/07/23/how-edtech-needs-to-get-back-to-school My role ... taught me how incredibly complex EdTech is. You have this fundamental conflict between a really innovative group of technology entrepreneurs and a schooling system that dates back to the first industrial revolution. You don’t make a quick buck in EdTech. Everything we do has to be built on a foundation of sound educational research. Educating a child is a process that takes place over many years, so why do we expect EdTech to deliver learning outcomes instantly? Those are the words of Vikas Pota, Chief Executive of Tmrw Digital which invests in EdTech startups. I believe that these are two important points to grasp of anyone who invests in either the business of EdTech or the products of EdTech. Schools are looking for tools that will enhance student learning. If the method and reasoning behind the tool are not deeply rooted in sound educational research, then the pro...

"Teachers Talk Technology" Report Creates Snapshot of Classroom Technology Use While 1:1 computing and bring your own device (BYOD) programs may get news coverage, only 12 percent of teachers reported that their students are equipped with technology both at school and at home, and just 6 percent reported that their students are allowed to use their own devices in the classroom. Read the article https://www.techlearning.com/ed-tech-ticker/teachers-talk-technology-report-creates-snapshot-of-classroom-technology-use 4,400 Teachers participated in a nationwide survey to share what devices, apps, sites, and tech tools they use in their classrooms.

See more details https://support.google.com/edu/classroom/answer/9048510?hl=en There are several updates coming to Google Classroom this August. Teachers wishing to take advantage of these updates early can sign up in the article linked above. New Features (Launching August 2018) New Classwork Page (Top Picture) Create and reuse assignments and questions in one location! Organize the assignments and questions by grouping them into modules and units.  Teachers can plan their curriculum for the semester by reordering work to match their class sequence. This is an update that I (and many) have been waiting for in Google Classroom. With this update, teachers have the potential pre-build up a course and re-use it in future years without starting over. I am very excited to see how this update works. Improved Stream Page Stream is now the conversation center between students and teachers. This makes a lot of sense, as I've long considered the stream to be ...

I have been in the field of Education Technology for 4 years, and officially in Education for 7 years. For those that have been in this field with me during this time, it may go without saying that the landscape has changed a lot. This is NOT a ranked list. These are just 7 general observations of some of the big trends I have seen that mainly started or gained popularity during the time I have been in Education. 1:1 - A Device for Every Student iPads Gamification Blended & Flipped Learning Personalized Learning Online Learning & MOOCs School as a Service 1:1 Device Initiatives When I was teaching in 2011, using computers meant reserving a lab (well in advance) and planning the lesson around the technology we would be using. The very next year, I had a classroom set of iPads available all the time. This allowed planning lessons without the need to schedule it well in advance or even plan around the technology. Technology started to fit into the lessons I wa...