What can we do with a blog?

Blogs are fast becoming a popular tool for sharing opinions, thoughts, concerns, hobbies, recipes; you name it, and people have a blog that you can follow.

Blogs are an essential part of my Personal Learning Network (PLN).  My email box probably has entries from five or so different blogs.  Do I take the time to read them every day, not always.  I quickly scan them for ideas and if it isn't something I need to know, in the trash it goes.  However, most of my creative ideas come from reading what other "techie" teachers are doing in their classrooms.  When ideas come from other teachers creating digital content in their classroom, I know the teachers in our district will be able to do the similar things.

Blogs are basically a writing tool so they can be utilized in almost any subject.  Teachers can use blogs in their classroom to help develop writing skills.  Students can use blogs to share their personal interests.  Hands-on classrooms can implement blogs as a journal that describes the process that students use to complete projects.  Teachers can create a classroom blog and have a job detail for "Blogger of the Day" who, with guidance from the teacher and/or class, writes entries on the blog that share what happened in their class during that particular day. There is an endless list of how blogs can be implemented into the teachers' classroom.

If you're not sure about using blogs in your classroom, try following a few other teachers who implement blogs.  See how they use their web space to share about their classroom.  Start small and give it a try. 

Google Forms and Data Validation Functions

Over the past couple of weeks, opportunities have surfaced that allowed me to put Google Forms to the test.  While I've always found Forms to be one of my favorite apps within the Google Drive suite, these functions for question formats make it even better.

The Data validation function offers limits and specificity to formats for Short Answer, Paragraph, and Checkboxes questions within Google Forms.  This table provides a quick glimpse at the menu options for each question format.

To find the Data validation menu, click on the three vertical dots found on the lower right hand corner within the question edit window.

After Data validation has been selected, a menu will appear in your question window.  From the dropdown menus provided within the window, you can designate more specific information from the questions that are created within the form.  The form editor (you) can also type text to specify the message that the users will see should an invalid answer is entered.

What do I do with my webpage?

I’ve spent the last few days working on my webpage. Granted, as someone who tends to think of myself as fairly technologically skilled, websites are not my “thing”. It isn’t that I can’t figure it out, the mechanics of putting one together seems frustrating no matter how easy the format is designed. I have much appreciation for individuals who work at designing their school web page. Working on my school web page brings to mind a commonly voiced issue concerning web pages and learning management systems (LMS). Before widespread student access to devices and the dawn of free LMS software, teachers were encouraged to use their web pages as a resource center. Teachers became webmasters and used their school web pages as an extension of their classroom and themselves. Web pages essentially became information centers housing links to classroom assignments and additional resources. Detailed and well developed web pages were used as a precursor to learning management systems. However, as more school districts connect their students with devices, the use of free learning management systems has become quite common. Implementing a learning management system, such as Schoology or Edmodo, helps to create the optimum environment for designing instruction that engages students. Learning management systems provide the necessary structure for teachers to create meaningful instruction utilizing online resources and accessing tools. A learning management system offers ease in the distribution and collection of assignments, provides instruction for absent students, and allows teachers opportunities to facilitate and guide instruction. Abilities not well suited for webpages. So, where does that leave those well developed and resourceful web pages? Leave them right where they are. For the time being, that web page is yet another resource for students and parents to access. Just remember to clean house once and awhile. Take down those links that no longer work. Remove information that is unnecessary. Soon you’ll discover that your web page becomes a succinct connection to more important content that directs your learners to where you need them to be. 

Digital "Shiny" Objects

Digital "Shiny" object: enticing digital gadgets and apps.

There are always lots of  new educational technologies bombarding the inboxes of  teachers this time of year.  If you're like me, I tend to want to try everyone that comes through my blog feed or inbox.  However, over the years, I've learned to be more "judious" (Thank you, Matt Miller) about the educational value of every new gadget, app, or tech idea that comes to transform my classroom.

Take for instance, the new Pokemon Go app that is spreading rampantly across the globe.  I'm sure there are already teachers sharing ideas about how they are incorporating this app in their classroom curriculum. I always wonder if their inclusion of this new app really modified learning or did they create an activity just to use the app?  Nothing improves learning like good lesson design.

Whenever I come across a digitally "shiny" object, my approach is to ask myself this question:
How will ______ help develop good instruction?  In the book, The HyperDoc Handbook; Digital Lesson Design Using Google Apps, Highfill, Hilton, and Landis (2016) share a lesson design that works well for any type of online or digital learning classroom.  The Basic HyperDoc Lesson template is easy to understand and implement at any age level. If the digital "shiny" object doesn't fit into any of these lesson plan categories, I don't find it useful.

There are lots of well developed, useful digital tools available.  Find a couple that work for you and use them diligently.  




Highfill, Lisa, Kelly Hilton, and Sarah Landis. The Hyperdoc Handbook: Digital Lesson Design Using Google Apps. Irvine: EdTechTeam Press, 2016. Print.

Find One Thing

I don't know everything! - There I said it.  You can't possibly understand now hard that is for me to admit.  But, now that it's out there, I feel as though a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Beginning a new position as a Technology Integration Specialist sometimes leads me to believe that I have to know everything about anything digital.  However, two blog articles this week calmed my anxiety and helped to add clarity to my role.

In this week's blog post from Matt Miller, the author of DITCH that Textbook, one of his ten suggestions for starting this school year is to find one thing that you want to incorporate into this school year and concentrate on that concept.  Too often, I find myself reading or listening to what other educators are doing in their digital classrooms and start to feel overwhelmed; as if I should be doing everything they are and know all things technology.  As Matt Miller states, "Be Judicious"  find one or two concepts and work to incorporate them into your classroom.

David Coulter's article in Edutopia highlighted a few ideas for becoming and remaining a transformational teacher.  He emphasized the importance of learning from each other.  No matter how many years we've been teaching, there are still areas (we know deep down inside) where we can do better.  It's always such a relief when we recognize how someone else has found a practice or strategy that works to improve in one of those areas and they share it with us.

As I look forward to the beginning of this new school year, I see my role in a whole new light.
Not only am I able to visit classrooms and glean new ideas and practices from those instructors, but I am also able to be the channel from which those ideas and practices can be shared within our learning community.  We, as a community of learners, grow our knowledge base from the strengths of our members.  So the anxiety of not "knowing" everything subsides with the understanding that I am part of a skilled and knowledgeable community who are passionate about what they do and the impact they make.