tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24201461812759471182024-03-05T20:33:31.646-05:00Climbing the Ladder of Educational TechnologyMy experiences with Ed Tech for preschool, elementary, high school and SPED shared with youRebecca Penina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15239592626939478818noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2420146181275947118.post-49507330934791483952021-05-09T21:48:00.000-04:002021-05-09T21:48:11.394-04:00Digital Escape Rooms - A Silver Lining of COVID-19<p>We all know that as educators, it's been a tough year, to say the least. Although Zoom, Google Meet, and other virtual conferencing platforms can be great learning tools, we all know that they will never replace face-to-face learning in the classroom. Nothing will. And believe it or not, <a href="https://news.stanford.edu/2021/02/23/four-causes-zoom-fatigue-solutions/" target="_blank">Zoom fatigue</a> is a real thing. So it's our job as educators to develop ways to mitigate Zoom fatigue. We need to create opportunities for our students to interact and collaborate with each other. Our instruction needs to be student centered, engaging, and interactive. Let's give our students the chance to develop their reading and critical thinking skills. One activity that can be used to accomplish all of the above is a digital "Escape Room." </p><p>It's likely that you and/or your students have been to a physical "Escape Room." In case you are not familiar with an "Escape Room," an "Escape Room" is a room in which people are locked in order to play a game requiring them to solve a series of puzzles within a certain amount of time to accomplish a goal, typically finding the way to unlock the room. "Escape Room" experiences are great for team building, they encourage reading, critical thinking skills, and last not least, collaboration amongst the participants. They are engaging and student centered. When created properly, the instructor can facilitate, acting as the "guide on the side" instead of "the sage on the stage." Because of COVID-19, digital escape rooms have become quite popular; students can participate from anywhere at any time. The learning is not restricted to the walls of the classroom.</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9asH9CPIeTGGC13ZZhyphenhyphen3tv1iiD_ksG4F4pXxUEeZCggor4zdAKtNOlju7BOTJGoi0jGxVJjSwpZD_oy3ikPXCGgi1TnQ24NugIkc7JvIMOam5q0VoMooyP9JjD7jh0tGK8Zrv-phvYfUY/s2048/Screen+Shot+2021-05-09+at+6.07.37+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1519" data-original-width="2048" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9asH9CPIeTGGC13ZZhyphenhyphen3tv1iiD_ksG4F4pXxUEeZCggor4zdAKtNOlju7BOTJGoi0jGxVJjSwpZD_oy3ikPXCGgi1TnQ24NugIkc7JvIMOam5q0VoMooyP9JjD7jh0tGK8Zrv-phvYfUY/w505-h374/Screen+Shot+2021-05-09+at+6.07.37+PM.png" width="505" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10 Reasons 2 Try Breakout EDU Digital by Amanda Taylor @TeacherAndGeek</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>So how does one go about creating a "Digital Escape Room?" Well, according to <a href="https://twitter.com/KarlyMoura" target="_blank">Karly Moura</a>, another educator who has created many digital escape rooms, the best way to learn more about them is to try it yourself, and I couldn't agree more! Here's a great one to try which was created by <a href="https://twitter.com/MandiTolenEDU" target="_blank">Dr. Mandi Tolen</a>. Just click on the link and go for it!<p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://ditchthattextbook.com/30-digital-escape-rooms-plus-tips-and-tools-for-creating-your-own/#tve-jump-1756feef17b" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="1820" height="327" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxIxyzDrb1xy5RwZxoE8ErDvy74B3lNe9txGxZpJ7XnPlmIrEhTqBIyxI33r3ZH0zhUJ2MZj_qiiP1P3mDOhW2eaCcQfzdV5TG7Ouvko59_N90XqfdZsf2098Xnd6kBSBIDvDWAJWkC7KM/w523-h327/Screen+Shot+2021-05-09+at+6.54.03+PM.png" width="523" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://ditchthattextbook.com/30-digital-escape-rooms-plus-tips-and-tools-for-creating-your-own/#tve-jump-1756feef17b" target="_blank">Ditch That Textbook Themed Digital Escape Room by Dr. Mandi Tolen</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p>Are you ready to start creating your very own "Digital Escape Room"? If so, here is some information to help you get started. Proper planning is crucial for this to be successful! (This has been taken from Dr. Mandi Tolen's blogpost <a href="https://ditchthattextbook.com/30-digital-escape-rooms-plus-tips-and-tools-for-creating-your-own/#tve-jump-1756feef17b" target="_blank">"How to Create a Digital Escape Room for Your Class or PD.</a>)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWtax9m62lyBF58mpAEPkq6uWHO-xD7kHMrx2Fl9dHVkwYnRSsN6SF6a1sVl6aPtgSr9PzqiturJQ-jbyESgjgYEI90v9hqEl2GQCVpjmTRyOLX4ePfT5CQiz-QBtwvk96lKOh7OjjuMh4/s1079/image14.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1079" data-original-width="818" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWtax9m62lyBF58mpAEPkq6uWHO-xD7kHMrx2Fl9dHVkwYnRSsN6SF6a1sVl6aPtgSr9PzqiturJQ-jbyESgjgYEI90v9hqEl2GQCVpjmTRyOLX4ePfT5CQiz-QBtwvk96lKOh7OjjuMh4/w316-h416/image14.png" width="316" /></a></div><br /><p>One of the digital escape rooms that I created this past year was centered around the book "<i>Fahrenheit 451</i>" by Ray Bradbury. Through this experience, students worked collaboratively to escape a digital room that featured interactive objects and clues associated with the book and its theme. Using Google Drawings, I created an interactive image which I exported as a PDF. I combined the PDF with a Google Form and added them both to a Google Site which I created specifically for the digital escape room.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGBLZGfovzguEKFvXN_XvtjCq1QDzrx2lYt6KRm69Pc1057sxilKCA0BJO7MFDRvftma3u1wD9L508jDT31GB3z2BwLyBou4sKVG8EVUwnSzxSwdJCu4UGYKqgcqoLpSARp6WkaNeMMV6/s2406/Screen+Shot+2021-05-09+at+8.34.02+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="2406" height="97" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGBLZGfovzguEKFvXN_XvtjCq1QDzrx2lYt6KRm69Pc1057sxilKCA0BJO7MFDRvftma3u1wD9L508jDT31GB3z2BwLyBou4sKVG8EVUwnSzxSwdJCu4UGYKqgcqoLpSARp6WkaNeMMV6/w512-h97/Screen+Shot+2021-05-09+at+8.34.02+PM.png" width="512" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Z48bLs7ePXzVjg0nOxgZVDehHSD4rjkj6-yY6Elk-kEabWmPaKasYgKl6ycrMTIpOnz8rwGbSQlU8jgZoRVBDpUbhDV3MPTimh3rgKeIDixV0gPczMAXcpTj0xm9021LUlfNyxv0Hu5q/s1406/Screen+Shot+2021-05-09+at+8.18.03+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="1406" height="59" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Z48bLs7ePXzVjg0nOxgZVDehHSD4rjkj6-yY6Elk-kEabWmPaKasYgKl6ycrMTIpOnz8rwGbSQlU8jgZoRVBDpUbhDV3MPTimh3rgKeIDixV0gPczMAXcpTj0xm9021LUlfNyxv0Hu5q/w484-h59/Screen+Shot+2021-05-09+at+8.18.03+PM.png" width="484" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinIhr5dNFLEnalviXm24hE84PYeNxS1b6Itp8rdWw0yWO8phGSbLqj6alI7NbANEMsFHHkXVEMtqYadl39SwBbNlftoC9MDmQDPZthubppibmmNpFEdKLR5f_OLHhSS65OHbSnYkCPWsxz/s1076/Screen+Shot+2021-05-09+at+8.16.13+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="1076" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinIhr5dNFLEnalviXm24hE84PYeNxS1b6Itp8rdWw0yWO8phGSbLqj6alI7NbANEMsFHHkXVEMtqYadl39SwBbNlftoC9MDmQDPZthubppibmmNpFEdKLR5f_OLHhSS65OHbSnYkCPWsxz/w500-h312/Screen+Shot+2021-05-09+at+8.16.13+PM.png" width="500" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">By clicking on the various interactive objects in the image above, the students were led to a number of clues that would unlock the locks in the Google Form. A couple of the locks are shown in the screenshots below. One of the best features of the Google Form was the response validation feature. Response validation is a great tool that can help you make sure that the answers you get actually fit what you're asking. It also provides immediate feedback to the user who completed the form. It will only work with short answer questions. In a nutshell, the student must enter the correct answer on the Google Form in order to successfully open the lock if the response validation feature is used. All students have a chance to earn a perfect score on this activity and they cannot submit the form until they do so. You can imagine that this was not easy for the students. They had no choice but to read, think critically, and follow directions carefully. The English teacher and I facilitated the student centered learning acting as "the guide on the side," rather than "the sage on the stage." </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs80FGEvWiB-eIOkLqzR2I1mF_ryNDNFTjsu-ayJzMmQWAC-hTW-k3JiD7kZZWynOBa-iQWioAlG3bHj6T0wfNekQ3HaS2oc4RmC4hpdr2pixZKgvAlc1VaMlas7Ak5Xig_jvVODHLf6M8/s1256/Screen+Shot+2021-05-09+at+9.09.14+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="1256" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs80FGEvWiB-eIOkLqzR2I1mF_ryNDNFTjsu-ayJzMmQWAC-hTW-k3JiD7kZZWynOBa-iQWioAlG3bHj6T0wfNekQ3HaS2oc4RmC4hpdr2pixZKgvAlc1VaMlas7Ak5Xig_jvVODHLf6M8/w514-h472/Screen+Shot+2021-05-09+at+9.09.14+PM.png" width="514" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now you're ready to get started and create your own digital escape room. Dr. Mandi Tolen has put together a planning template that you (or even your students) can use to create your own digital escape room. You can make a copy of this planning template by clicking <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/u/1/d/1PiuQt4N4hsxSZv9RSWZ8H9h9N0TnqAL5n0ISqO2jJgU/copy" target="_blank">here</a>. The template is actually a Google Slides file which you can download as a PDF or PowerPoint. You can print it out or you can make your own copy to fill in digitally.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After you have created your own digital escape room and are ready to share it with your students, you might want to share the image below which was created by Karly Moura. </div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjil6q-L8OqN2IcFumw67AbM_xQOyEImuSEy04t5CF1uEYLGXLTquC7MsLun7o2UD-8VGuDCw1kM5wbMknlvm7eUqX36YzP3Ja7ZF-XT6FRhpA-9OH6hlAtMov9n-syeHAjLUPaOqX0RV8_/s2048/Screen+Shot+2021-05-09+at+6.09.19+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1141" data-original-width="2048" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjil6q-L8OqN2IcFumw67AbM_xQOyEImuSEy04t5CF1uEYLGXLTquC7MsLun7o2UD-8VGuDCw1kM5wbMknlvm7eUqX36YzP3Ja7ZF-XT6FRhpA-9OH6hlAtMov9n-syeHAjLUPaOqX0RV8_/w530-h295/Screen+Shot+2021-05-09+at+6.09.19+PM.png" width="530" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5 Tips for a Successful Digital Escape! by @KarlyMoura</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>We all know that this year was none like any other. As educators, it's important that we create interactive, engaging, and challenging learning experiences that are unlike others so our students will learn from them, enjoy them, and ask for more\. A digital escape room is the way to do it! </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Rebecca Penina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15239592626939478818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2420146181275947118.post-25979630481375022612020-03-22T18:38:00.002-04:002020-03-22T18:39:58.131-04:00Getting it Done With Google Assignments <span id="docs-internal-guid-8569fbf7-7fff-0d01-552a-d97f7441afb0"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do you and your students use a LMS (Learning Management System) to post and submit assignments? Do you and/or your students use </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Google Drive</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and more specifically </span><a href="https://docs.google.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Google Docs</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in order to complete assignments? Do you or your students sometimes have difficulty locating the file before and/or after submitting it? If you have answered "yes" to the questions above, then it's time for you to start using </span><a href="https://assignments.google.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Google Assignments</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. And yes, it's FREE.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjomcotLanHHeBhPLEHmqc7djxiRaiUMFLd7TIJKBXvnKByt4VsnDORDwzxQF-xonPiij4AdAYfIdixES55yvU77Q61odzsr9cnsFq-d7vZtSdu8h-P2LjSB3yF6MCYDOlj3mZLJQPsoM7K/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-10-17+at+10.13.36+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1226" data-original-width="1418" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjomcotLanHHeBhPLEHmqc7djxiRaiUMFLd7TIJKBXvnKByt4VsnDORDwzxQF-xonPiij4AdAYfIdixES55yvU77Q61odzsr9cnsFq-d7vZtSdu8h-P2LjSB3yF6MCYDOlj3mZLJQPsoM7K/s320/Screen+Shot+2019-10-17+at+10.13.36+AM.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Google Assignments (formerly known as </span><a href="https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/introducing-course-kit-new-ways-collaborate-g-suite-your-lms-designed-higher-ed/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Course Kit</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">), is </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">coursework creation and grading tool that you can use within </span><a href="https://edu.google.com/products/gsuite-for-education/?modal_active=none" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">G Suite for Education</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> alongside your existing LMS. Until my teachers and students began using Google Assignments, they were spending </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">way</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> too much time posting and submitting their assignments. Students were uploading their documents to Google Drive and then sharing it with the teacher, some of them bypassing the LMS completely, which led to disorganization of the students' contributions. Digital tools should be designed in order to make our lives easier; not more difficult. Dean Karnazes, American athlete said, "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don't know about you, but all this modern technology that's supposed to save us time and effort has actually ended up making things more complicated in my life, eating up extra time." </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #4a4a4a; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #4a4a4a; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></span></span>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIV3y8DKUKfnjvuwDKQHOdMv-UZNzeWLF2uAJm2AfzSE2npfgBfl48KjiRYfMobFyf31O7ClALiY_1bzeXQymHNgWjFiiejYe4ZfileftRhG2yq9wlEXRj2xHlrES_HthQxtXbQ5hk_Qu8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-10-20+at+3.39.06+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="895" data-original-width="1600" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIV3y8DKUKfnjvuwDKQHOdMv-UZNzeWLF2uAJm2AfzSE2npfgBfl48KjiRYfMobFyf31O7ClALiY_1bzeXQymHNgWjFiiejYe4ZfileftRhG2yq9wlEXRj2xHlrES_HthQxtXbQ5hk_Qu8/s400/Screen+Shot+2019-10-20+at+3.39.06+PM.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3c4043; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Google took the best interest of both teachers and students into account and developed Assignments, which uses the open source Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) specification to seamlessly integrate with 3rd party LMSs. It includes some of the best features from Google Classroom</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No longer does a teacher need to spend ten minutes or so posting an assignment and hoping that the students will know how to access the assignment and complete it and submit it properly. Rather, after a teacher posts the assignment, Google will automatically create a unique and editable copy for </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">each</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> student. The student will see the file listed directly below the teacher's post to the assignment. When the student opens the file, a new Google Docs window opens with the student's copy of the assignment. The student will then work inside of this window and, when he/she has completed the assignment, theythe window and click the "Submit" button in order to submit the assignment to the teacher. The teacher will then receive a notification that the assignment has been submitted and will be able to grade the assignment using Google Assignments. Depending on how the assignment was posted (Google Docs Cloud Assignments or Google Assignments) some assignments can be graded in SpeedGrader, for those of you who use Canvas LMS. </span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-eef53899-7fff-6881-64c3-5cbab48415c7"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For those of you who grew up in the 1990's like me and before that, remember </span><a href="https://www.cliffsnotes.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CliffsNotes</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">? It's OK, I'm not judging as I remember Cliffs Notes very well. In fact, Cliffs Notes was one of my best friends in high school. Although our students today might not have access to CliffsNotes, they have access to more information than ever with the internet.. s educators, it's </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">our</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> job to teach them when to use the Internet, when not to use the Internet, and how to use the Internet properly and responsibly. Google knows that this is a huge responsibility on our shoulders; and they included the feature of running originality reports within Google Assignments. </span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #3c4043; margin-bottom: 0.75rem; margin-top: 0.25rem;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://assignments.google.com/u/1/h" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1600" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJtZ5xT6u9U76dcPGFp9FiL0xRZub6O-7Mq5yP7LSYNcF9BhLamfjDg1dJIustLtShhtlNDGcYIyX3fzs-WGmoGC0wqrOl8JpJ8krkYBx9s2uWfZigHesq0l6v4hvPTwWaLjT9i7dIlvz/s640/Screen+Shot+2019-10-17+at+10.13.56+AM.png" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #3c4043; margin: 0.25rem 0px 0.75rem; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="list-style-type: none; margin: 0.25rem 0px; padding-left: 1rem;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: none; margin: 0.25rem 0px; padding-left: 1rem;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 3pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I remember years ago in high school sitting with my CliffsNotes beside me as I would write my essays. Before turning in my essay or research paper to my teacher, I would glance over my paper and ask myself, "Does it sound too much like CliffsNotes?" We need to teach our students how to submit authentic work - their </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">own</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> work. If the students submit or cite the work of others' it's crucial that they give credit to the original author. </span></span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Attach a file to an assignment so each student gets their own copy to edit and turn in.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Check for missed citations and possible plagiarism with the Originality reports feature.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Embed Drive files with the Canvas rich text editor.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Add Drive files to Canvas Modules.</span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #3c4043; margin-bottom: 0.75rem; margin-top: 0.25rem;">
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #3c4043; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Assignments LTI includes all the features of the Google Apps LTI tool, except Canvas Collaborations. This feature is coming soon.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;">To watch the Google Assignments Webinar, visit</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=ZoEjlUPSgbw" style="background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=ZoEjlUPSgbw</span></span></a></div>
</div>
Rebecca Penina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15239592626939478818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2420146181275947118.post-71199743899621516292019-04-23T16:22:00.001-04:002019-04-25T12:22:34.332-04:00Get Yourself Organized With Webjets!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">As an educator and the mother of a child with special needs, I never fully understood the value of visual learning. A number of years after I started teaching elementary school, I revamped my instructional materials and saw the positive impact that visual learning had on my students' retention of content. Studies have shown that we rely heavily on our senses to process information when learning, and engaging more than one sense when teaching can help information processing. Using multiple senses allows more cognitive connections and associations to be made with a concept. According to the <a href="https://www.td.org/insights/new-from-atd-research-a-science-of-learning-framework">Association for Talent Development</a>, multisensory learning can improve employee's retention of information. The FREE* cloud-based tool <a href="https://www.webjets.io/" target="_blank">Webjets</a> is great for visual learning, and also will benefit anyone who is looking to organize his/her knowledge and thoughts. Too often when conducting research or surfing the web, I have countless browser tabs open, many of them with important information. The problem is that they are just too distracting and cause me to lose focus on my tasks. Enter <a href="http://webjets.io/" target="_blank">Webjets.io</a>.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">So what exactly is <a href="http://webjets.io/" target="_blank">Webjets.io</a>? Webjets is your very own adaptable desktop that you can customize to meet your very own needs. It allows you to collect and manage any kind of information from the web using cards. These can be used for creating bookmarks, mind maps, moodboards, documents, tables, interactive presentations, and more. Write notes and note ideas. Set goals and remember tasks. No matter if it's YouTube, Wikipedia or Instagram - drag anything into Webjets.</span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JwgwSiL5UcfzotmZ7pUvp4SeqA2nJSyTQ11qtUIbrPpm-vbjEka3YZ7NkPnKjX7AGHa3L25BdbdmVIqUtw8mH-ZGCV3ryx_P8G97e_tazY2s6X4Fblw3wovXEtej9ngemSOhWDXBdy_-/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-04-14+at+8.32.24+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="936" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JwgwSiL5UcfzotmZ7pUvp4SeqA2nJSyTQ11qtUIbrPpm-vbjEka3YZ7NkPnKjX7AGHa3L25BdbdmVIqUtw8mH-ZGCV3ryx_P8G97e_tazY2s6X4Fblw3wovXEtej9ngemSOhWDXBdy_-/s400/Screen+Shot+2019-04-14+at+8.32.24+PM.png" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">So how does Webjets work? Use drag and drop from your web browser's address bar, a bookmarklet, or even IFTTT to push your data into Webjets. Any content collected from the web automagically turns into an interactive card. <span style="font-size: small;">Webjets allows you to manage any kind of information with ease. </span><span style="font-size: small;">Place cards freely, or group them at the speed of thought.</span></span><br />
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> <iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/5_qcAx8gtio/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5_qcAx8gtio?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Are you or your students conducting research? Webjets can be an invaluable tool in so many ways. First of all, you can use Webjets to keep track of all your sources (websites) for your bibliography by managing bookmarks in a fun and visual way. Second, you can use Webjets to brainstorm information by creating a mindmap. You will be organizing your information in a visual and relaxing way as you structure the information in the way that you think. As you add more information to the Webjets desktop, your board will expand. You will be able to keep all of your information in one place. Third, when doing a research project, it's a process that requires a number of tasks. Webjets allows you to manage your tasks by organizing them in a visual way, helping you stay focused and productive. You can organize clusters of information using lists, which are the most simple type of presentation. Use tables to make Kanban boards or visualize two-dimensional structures. Webjets allows visual collaboration, enabling you to be more effective by applying visual thinking, like color-coding, pattern recognition, or clustering techniques. It does the job the way you want it to be done. You will allow your students to curate content by enabling them to learn the way that they think. </span></span><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">A hot topic in today's world of education is collaboration; individuals work together as a team in order to accomplish a goal. Each member of the team is responsible for a different task to complete. Webjets allows you to collaborate better by sharing learning materials - or anything for that matter - with your friends or teammates, and enjoy all your changes instantly synchronized between users. Set due dates to manage your team's workflow. The only way that one can improve his skill of teamwork is by working together with others on an assignment. This cannot be taught; rather it needs to be modeled and practiced hands on. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Speaking of synchronization, it's important that the apps and/or tools that we use in and out of the classroom are "device agnostic," which means they will be compatible with any device; whether it's a computer, tablet, or phone. Webjets will work on any device, as long as there is an active Internet connection. When you login to Webjets, you will see all changes synchronized between your devices, providing consistent access to your own digital environment from anywhere in the world.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02-5O_cyrLseBXDBda6PeUR3NFScGSS0r-GsC09XfAqVeKXtsk-_cjtBUgg171lwhv7TcVK7RIcep8RCl30hhV041-emlF_O6DlmUlLU1YwHajfMaeR24TpM-dUbJ15RPUf64Nu6eOYu_/s1600/webjets+visual+collaboration.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="579" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02-5O_cyrLseBXDBda6PeUR3NFScGSS0r-GsC09XfAqVeKXtsk-_cjtBUgg171lwhv7TcVK7RIcep8RCl30hhV041-emlF_O6DlmUlLU1YwHajfMaeR24TpM-dUbJ15RPUf64Nu6eOYu_/s320/webjets+visual+collaboration.gif" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When using digital tools in the classroom, we also want to make sure that they are interactive and engaging for our students; but we also want to make sure that they are not distracting or too much stimulation. Webjets is exactly that. Make students an active part of the lesson </span></span><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">by allowing them to engage and interact with your presentation. Take into account what your students' needs are and choose the best presentation to collect your information. Structure and present your libraries of knowledge with countless different ways. Invent your own approach to productivity on top of your favorite web services, such as YouTube or Google Docs. </span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">When our students are curating digital content, we want them to be proud of themselves and allow them to publish their content online in order to share with others. With Webjets you can publish anything ranging from a simple note to advanced research efforts. You can share it on your favorite social network and let your friends admire your thoughtful work.</span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Webjets is continuing to add new features. One upcoming feature is the "Search" feature. You will be able to get instant results from your data inside Webjets or any other connected web services using Webjets' powerful search engine. I am looking forward to seeing this implemented. </span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">I am so happy that I have learned about Webjets. I have already shared it with teachers and they were amazed by what they are able to do using the tool. I am looking forward to seeing the products that they and their students create!</span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="t396__elem tn-elem tn-elem__949730281551444590235 t-animate t-animate_started" data-animate-distance="50" data-animate-duration="0.9" data-animate-style="fadeinup" data-elem-id="1551444590235" data-elem-type="text" data-field-axisx-value="left" data-field-axisy-value="top" data-field-container-value="grid" data-field-heightunits-value="" data-field-left-res-320-value="-15" data-field-left-res-480-value="-55" data-field-left-res-640-value="25" data-field-left-res-960-value="185" data-field-left-value="305" data-field-leftunits-value="" data-field-top-res-320-value="50" data-field-top-res-480-value="40" data-field-top-res-640-value="60" data-field-top-res-960-value="120" data-field-top-value="220" data-field-topunits-value="" data-field-width-res-320-value="350" data-field-width-value="590" data-field-widthunits-value="" data-fields="top,left,width,container,axisx,axisy,widthunits,leftunits,topunits" style="backface-visibility: hidden; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: table; left: 285.5px; margin: 0px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; top: 120px; transform: translate3d(0px, 50px, 0px); transition-duration: 0.9s; transition-property: opacity, transform; transition-timing-function: cubic-bezier(0.19, 1, 0.22, 1); visibility: visible; width: 590px; z-index: 35;">
<div class="tn-atom" field="tn_text_1551444590235" style="background-position: center center; border: 0px solid transparent; box-sizing: content-box; display: table-cell; line-height: 1.55; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: 590px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div>
<div class="t396__elem tn-elem tn-elem__949730281553302867067 t-animate t-animate_started" data-animate-distance="100" data-animate-duration="1" data-animate-style="fadeinup" data-elem-id="1553302867067" data-elem-type="text" data-field-axisx-value="left" data-field-axisy-value="top" data-field-container-value="grid" data-field-heightunits-value="" data-field-left-res-320-value="-35" data-field-left-res-480-value="5" data-field-left-res-640-value="55" data-field-left-res-960-value="215" data-field-left-value="320" data-field-leftunits-value="" data-field-top-res-320-value="92" data-field-top-res-480-value="92" data-field-top-res-640-value="122" data-field-top-res-960-value="212" data-field-top-value="310" data-field-topunits-value="" data-field-width-res-320-value="390" data-field-width-res-480-value="470" data-field-width-res-960-value="530" data-field-width-value="560" data-field-widthunits-value="" data-fields="top,left,width,container,axisx,axisy,widthunits,leftunits,topunits" style="backface-visibility: hidden; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: table; left: 315.5px; margin: 0px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; top: 212px; transform: translate3d(0px, 100px, 0px); transition-duration: 1s; transition-property: opacity, transform; transition-timing-function: cubic-bezier(0.19, 1, 0.22, 1); visibility: visible; width: 530px; z-index: 36;">
<div class="tn-atom" field="tn_text_1553302867067" style="background-position: center center; border: 0px solid transparent; box-sizing: content-box; display: table-cell; line-height: 1.55; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: 530px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="t396__elem tn-elem tn-elem__949730281553302867067 t-animate t-animate_started" data-animate-distance="100" data-animate-duration="1" data-animate-style="fadeinup" data-elem-id="1553302867067" data-elem-type="text" data-field-axisx-value="left" data-field-axisy-value="top" data-field-container-value="grid" data-field-heightunits-value="" data-field-left-res-320-value="-35" data-field-left-res-480-value="5" data-field-left-res-640-value="55" data-field-left-res-960-value="215" data-field-left-value="320" data-field-leftunits-value="" data-field-top-res-320-value="92" data-field-top-res-480-value="92" data-field-top-res-640-value="122" data-field-top-res-960-value="212" data-field-top-value="310" data-field-topunits-value="" data-field-width-res-320-value="390" data-field-width-res-480-value="470" data-field-width-res-960-value="530" data-field-width-value="560" data-field-widthunits-value="" data-fields="top,left,width,container,axisx,axisy,widthunits,leftunits,topunits" style="backface-visibility: hidden; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: table; left: 315.5px; margin: 0px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; top: 212px; transform: translate3d(0px, 100px, 0px); transition-duration: 1s; transition-property: opacity, transform; transition-timing-function: cubic-bezier(0.19, 1, 0.22, 1); visibility: visible; width: 530px; z-index: 36;">
<div class="tn-atom" field="tn_text_1553302867067" style="background-position: center center; border: 0px solid transparent; box-sizing: content-box; display: table-cell; line-height: 1.55; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: 530px;">
<div class="t396__elem tn-elem tn-elem__949730281551444590235 t-animate t-animate_started" data-animate-distance="50" data-animate-duration="0.9" data-animate-style="fadeinup" data-elem-id="1551444590235" data-elem-type="text" data-field-axisx-value="left" data-field-axisy-value="top" data-field-container-value="grid" data-field-heightunits-value="" data-field-left-res-320-value="-15" data-field-left-res-480-value="-55" data-field-left-res-640-value="25" data-field-left-res-960-value="185" data-field-left-value="305" data-field-leftunits-value="" data-field-top-res-320-value="50" data-field-top-res-480-value="40" data-field-top-res-640-value="60" data-field-top-res-960-value="120" data-field-top-value="220" data-field-topunits-value="" data-field-width-res-320-value="350" data-field-width-value="590" data-field-widthunits-value="" data-fields="top,left,width,container,axisx,axisy,widthunits,leftunits,topunits" style="backface-visibility: hidden; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: table; left: 285.5px; margin: 0px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 120px; transform: translate3d(0px, 50px, 0px); transition-duration: 0.9s; transition-property: opacity, transform; transition-timing-function: cubic-bezier(0.19, 1, 0.22, 1); visibility: visible; width: 590px; z-index: 35;">
<div class="tn-atom" field="tn_text_1551444590235" style="background-position: center center; border: 0px solid transparent; box-sizing: content-box; display: table-cell; line-height: 1.55; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: 590px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://www.webjets.io/learn?_ga=2.136776115.222845971.1555207633-1712836141.1554659630" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Click here to learn more about Webjets.io.</span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: center;">*Education plans are free for people </span><span style="text-align: center;">in education or non-profit organizations.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<br /></div>
Rebecca Penina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15239592626939478818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2420146181275947118.post-12937900638417834162019-04-11T22:50:00.001-04:002019-04-14T10:24:20.586-04:00eMaze your audience! It's PowerPoint + Prezi + Google Slides on Steroids!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was fortunate several months ago to learn about <a href="https://www.emaze.com/" target="_blank">emaze</a><span style="text-align: left;">, a powerful FREE* tool that can be used in the classroom. Initially, I thought that it was merely a presentation tool, but in all actuality, it's so much more. </span><span style="text-align: left;">Not only can you create amazing presentations in minutes, but you can also use emaze to create websites, e-cards, blogs, photo albums, and more. </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">Teachers can engage their class with interactive presentations that make learning more accessible, stimulating, and effective.</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">In fact, I know of an eighth grade class that is using emaze to create its own digital yearbook!</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.emaze.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.emaze.com/" border="0" data-original-height="179" data-original-width="600" height="95" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6ebpCHLb6dkZ07JAd2TSv9MmXF6isQsRfMObk8echfs1Z37h3InrH4_xHwnmWW0mrrpHxisE0aMzF1yum22bW1moyGWB6S7gfrtTW1TcSRHbxb2ehpPZKJaseGkK0ynAECw_JpftsBSp/s320/emaze+logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So you ask, "A presentation tool? Why do I need ANOTHER presentation tool? I have Microsoft PowerPoint, Prezi, Google Slides, etc. Isn't that enough?" But that's just it. Emaze is not just another presentation tool; it's much more powerful than the presentation tools listed above. Think of emaze as Microsoft PowerPoint + Prezi + Google Slides together on steroids. And THAT is what emaze is all about. Click the link below to learn how emaze compares to other presentation tools.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1200308052&ref=content_filter" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzPuM2-BLQCIXi3iPNArioTHSmXdpCpfBZdNG6kwFSfXZv4HCE0WDYujILEF-6QXHaegmv4DiYV2ZT4uuYzvuwsAmehLs6SR9Cb73gQHbcwsJlqHZF8tkIIXKJBdaIoRhOCI7H_inoBKwl/s320/emaze-vs-other-presentation-softwares-featured-image.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.emaze.com/2018/03/21/emaze-vs-prezi-vs-powerpoint/" target="_blank">Emaze vs. Prezi vs. PowerPoint and More!</a></span></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Creating beautiful content in emaze is very easy as the interface is user-friendly. There are many templates using various themes available on the website. <span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">Make your presentation stand o</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">ut of this world with designs, gorgeous animations and 3D and video effects. </span>In addition, there are many finished projects created by educators that are readily available for duplication and each user can edit it to his/her liking. The possibilities are endless.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And if you ask, "But I created something in Microsoft PowerPoint already.... I don't want to reinvent the wheel. What do I do?" Great question! You can import PowerPoint files directly into emaze and with very little effort. And if you created a Google Slides presentation, all you need to do is download and save the Google Slides file as a PowerPoint (.ppt) file and then import that file directly into eMaze. It's that simple! You can add video by uploading the file from your computer and/or mobile device. Another option is you can add the video's link on YouTube. In my experience, I have found that the video playback was better after I uploaded the file directly from my computer. Audio files work the same way; they can be uploaded or you can provide the link from YouTube.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Emaze is a device agnostic, cloud based tool. It can be used on all devices and in all places, as long as there is a high speed internet connection. Work and continue presentation projects at school, home, and on-the-go from laptops, tablets, and even mobile phones. Emaze is currently optimizing its software to be fully compatible with iPhones and smartphones. Personally, I feel that content creation is easier on a computer than on a mobile device. Projects can be downloaded in order to present offline in a variety of file formats, including but not limited to: .pdf, .mp4, and .html.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ9rGB6ppFD0m9V5GmfvZUGraNhxnBsSzyZTAOcUA697FpVUTEvbAql9zr9LqGjo9cjMG7p5f015sWM0XHb-yUt9U0jOPtLR69yqiKfpvPoTub0AvuZ5ag91wFmD1sM5qWvWwzZkQXR-iF/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-04-11+at+6.21.06+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="397" data-original-width="564" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ9rGB6ppFD0m9V5GmfvZUGraNhxnBsSzyZTAOcUA697FpVUTEvbAql9zr9LqGjo9cjMG7p5f015sWM0XHb-yUt9U0jOPtLR69yqiKfpvPoTub0AvuZ5ag91wFmD1sM5qWvWwzZkQXR-iF/s320/Screen+Shot+2019-04-11+at+6.21.06+PM.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It is very easy to share presentations (and other projects) with students, teachers, and everyone else by email, Facebook, Twitter, websites, and blogs. Looking for ways to collaborate? More than one person can edit the same presentation or project file. However, the current setting for FREE and EDU (Premium) users is that ONLY ONE user can edit a file at a time. The collaboration feature is only available for business member accounts at this time. I have mentioned to emaze staff the importance of educators and students being able to collaborate on the same project simultaneously. I hope that they will add the collaboration feature for EDU users in the near future.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">You can learn more about emaze by taking a gallery walk through the following presentation. (The video within the presentation can be accessed directly at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-9nHq9ld6Q&feature=youtu.be">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-9nHq9ld6Q&feature=youtu.be</a>. Have fun creating your "emaze-ing" projects and hoping to see them on the emaze Explore page soon!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" height="575px" mozallowfullscreen="" seamless="" src="https://app.emaze.com/@AOFIZICFI/example-emaze-presentation" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500px">
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
The default setting at Emaze is that presentations and other content which one creates is public. These public creations are open for the emaze staff to choose for the Explore page, where they feature a constantly rotating variety of real projects made by their user community. If your presentation is chosen to be on the Explore page, you will receive a notification email from us and you can decide whether you want to keep it on the Explore page or have it removed. Premium users do have the option of making their presentations private. To find out more about how to make your presentation private, please <a href="https://emaze.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/201035421-Make-Your-Presentation-Private">click here</a>.<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">Ease of use - </span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Work and present offline</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If you have additional questions about how emaze works, please visit the <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://emaze.zendesk.com/hc/en-us" target="_blank">Emaze Support page</a>. </span></div>
<br />
*A premium version is available through a paid subscription.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "asapitalic"; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div>
</iframe><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
Rebecca Penina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15239592626939478818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2420146181275947118.post-22292296263659333872019-02-13T11:06:00.000-05:002019-02-13T11:17:28.299-05:00Bluebee Pals: Social-Emotional and Academic Learning in an Interactive and Engaging WayAs a mother of a child with special needs (PDD-NOS and high functioning autism spectrum disorder) and as an early childhood educator, I have spent nearly a decade reviewing apps. When considering Educational Technology, it's important to choose tools that enable the learner to become independent in his/her learning and lead him/her to show mastery of a specific skill. I am not only referring to academics; I am also referring to social, emotional, self-help, and adaptive learning as many of these are challenges for children who are developmentally delayed. The technology needs to be flexible, student centered, relevant, and presents the learner with the opportunity to choose what he/she wants to do. Most importantly, the technology needs to be used in a constructive way as opposed to merely being a babysitter. Technology should be used as a "means to an end" and not an end in itself. The learner should be focused on the content and skills being taught, rather than the technology itself. The goal is that the learner should be able to demonstrate the skills WITHOUT technology; technology should help the learner to reach that point. I recently had the opportunity to review <a href="https://www.bluebeepals.com/" target="_blank">Bluebee Pals</a>, developed by <a href="http://thelearningcounsel.com/article/putting-plush-toys-work-learning" target="_blank">Laura Jiencke of Kayle Concepts</a>, and found that it is definitely a tool that meets the criteria above.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhlLegFJn6_seSyLDsFyYJsew9QXelI6XzsncdpVmf196q8EHaE03Bbid5UGGfivDimaZLhWEGVPTgYBD1NxVkaFi37mp9TB4sCYoY4z54usa8Cx_t1ColcRlpHsEVE3wZxAW9i5swQDx/s1600/BluebeePal1s-790x385.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="790" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhlLegFJn6_seSyLDsFyYJsew9QXelI6XzsncdpVmf196q8EHaE03Bbid5UGGfivDimaZLhWEGVPTgYBD1NxVkaFi37mp9TB4sCYoY4z54usa8Cx_t1ColcRlpHsEVE3wZxAW9i5swQDx/s400/BluebeePal1s-790x385.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Designed for children ages 3-7 as well as those with special needs, the Bluebee Pal is an interactive plush learning tool with a FREE companion life skills/educational app. Using Bluetooth, it connects to all <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bluebee-pals/id1331972815?ls=1&mt=8" target="_blank">iOS</a> and Android Devices and pairs with all apps with a narrative. Its patented technology allows Bluebee’s “mouth and head” to move while reading stories, teaching through educational games, learning a language, and singing songs.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIyTAVY73LPRyYAWV8t0LTD1OcGH8kBloUdxgViatJVJL7dBSyDRXLw3xtBBXFm5iif5X18X_4adL0ZGJPuiIv5umJffFTN50hOz2P8C6b2iGQfmN96AcPmGFIWovY7FJAaDojpft9_gSi/s1600/Lily+Lamb+Bluebee+Pals.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="997" data-original-width="997" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIyTAVY73LPRyYAWV8t0LTD1OcGH8kBloUdxgViatJVJL7dBSyDRXLw3xtBBXFm5iif5X18X_4adL0ZGJPuiIv5umJffFTN50hOz2P8C6b2iGQfmN96AcPmGFIWovY7FJAaDojpft9_gSi/s200/Lily+Lamb+Bluebee+Pals.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lily the Lamb</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
What sets Bluebee Pals aside from other children's learning apps? First of all, a stuffed animal is included as part of the learning. There are six different Bluebee Pals to choose from. This is great for those children who crave physical stimulation and sensory input. I don't know of any preschool child who doesn't enjoy the company of his/her own stuffed animal. For example, <a href="http://www.secondstep.org/second-step-social-emotional-learning" target="_blank">Second Step</a>, an early childhood curriculum that teaches social and emotional learning, features the use of stuffed animals. Second, the ability to use the stuffed animal when reading a story enables the learner to listen to the narrative alone and pay attention to the Bluebee Pal, instead of watching the screen on the device. We know children learn best when it's done in a way that is multi-sensory; the more senses that are stimulated, the greater the chance that the children will grasp the material. However, it is also important that children strengthen individual senses when learning as they will not always have the option to experience multi-sensory learning. This is also a good idea when wanting a child to hear a story without giving him/her additional screen time. Adults can assess the child's comprehension and listening skills by asking questions after the Bluebee Pal narrates the story to the child.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_t_1ZwJVy5QnrzvGufzY_mGFqKJotyewSgaUozjZ7g0Ae90DUfGTZnVv6SGW7P4X97RkEu3STvo6rPWXlt3fnb6Di_4CjLEG5wB7UEYpnc9OSJtWr0ObrcGpQcsveAzXFM0QMBZihuubB/s1600/IMG_1015.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_t_1ZwJVy5QnrzvGufzY_mGFqKJotyewSgaUozjZ7g0Ae90DUfGTZnVv6SGW7P4X97RkEu3STvo6rPWXlt3fnb6Di_4CjLEG5wB7UEYpnc9OSJtWr0ObrcGpQcsveAzXFM0QMBZihuubB/s320/IMG_1015.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Children with special needs benefit from apps that are flexible and those that afford them the ability to make choices. They need to feel in control of their learning. Many of the activities in the Bluebee Pals app are designed with that purpose in mind. For example, when the child first opens the Bluebee Pals app, he/she is given the opportunity to choose one of six Bluebee Pals to learn with. The next step is for the child to select his/her favorite color of balloon, category, and the room of the house that he/she wants to explore. As there is no sequential order in which the child must complete a given activity, the child can choose the order in which he/she completes the given activity. In addition, the child can easily choose to repeat that activity without feeling that he/she must move onto another activity. <br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ1ZWg0zR9O69MHU1maNuQkzZxbv_8o5HkIsYIfR8F2ppsRBtrwp54ytotQzZ28OUasYaKmuZlDImbCCblFGZX2gDHi_4I-NnohST6vCLKWy6lG3YFnQbnWTXHnjML0xN5qCuxeyhxsm7K/s1600/BBP-Daily-Activity-Example-from-App.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ1ZWg0zR9O69MHU1maNuQkzZxbv_8o5HkIsYIfR8F2ppsRBtrwp54ytotQzZ28OUasYaKmuZlDImbCCblFGZX2gDHi_4I-NnohST6vCLKWy6lG3YFnQbnWTXHnjML0xN5qCuxeyhxsm7K/s400/BBP-Daily-Activity-Example-from-App.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bluebee Pals House</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
A common goal for for younger learners and those with special needs is the ability to follow one and two step directions. For those who have difficulty with the reception of language, the Bluebee Pals app includes activities that can help them in this area of language and communication. Examples include but are not limited to: feeding the Bluebee Pal, brushing its teeth, and putting it to sleep. This is a great activity which can be integrated within a child's speech and language therapy sessions.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPURvRfzB7P3wj8wNMQF1ls2hWlNlF8ttsOiZDaatKw0eEDOcEQC2l8Vs5uygGzbp9KTWDe7tLrhr9oRuFIjsBSEEUzM7SYvKC2tr7lcPsFLEzmZnkBdzuSfW2KIYaGedzs9abqBVXlLFk/s1600/IMG_1016.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPURvRfzB7P3wj8wNMQF1ls2hWlNlF8ttsOiZDaatKw0eEDOcEQC2l8Vs5uygGzbp9KTWDe7tLrhr9oRuFIjsBSEEUzM7SYvKC2tr7lcPsFLEzmZnkBdzuSfW2KIYaGedzs9abqBVXlLFk/s320/IMG_1016.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lily the Lamb gets ready for bed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Developmental delays in language often affect one's literacy skills in a variety of areas, such as comprehension, vocabulary, and phonics. To strengthen the child's vocabulary skills, the app includes a sound-board feature where the child touches an object on the screen and the app identifies what the object is. Adults can practice these words with children by using them part of daily conversation when participating in these routines. To strengthen comprehension skills, the Bluebee Pals' app includes a number of mini-games that target inferencing and critical thinking skills. The child is given a specific situation must infer what the character must do within that context. Last but not least, the Bluebee Pal app includes a number of games that focus on phonics and letters in an interactive and engaging way.<br />
<br />
When choosing digital media, the content and skills that are being taught need to be relevant to the child's life. The Bluebee Pals app incorporates various daily living skills, such as hygiene, cooking, and cleaning up. The end goal is that the child will apply these skills to his/her own life. Needless to say, there is a greater chance that the child will do so when an adult is supervising the child using the app and reinforces the desired behavior each day.<br />
<br />
I am very impressed with Bluebee Pals and all that it has to offer. With all of the activities that were created to strengthen children's development in all areas of learning, it's a win-win. And the fact that the developers are open to listening to suggestions on ways to constantly improve it is invaluable. Looking for a gift for a preschool child or a child with special needs? A Bluebee Pal just might be the answer. It's no surprise that it has been the recipient of various awards. You can learn more about Bluebee Pals by visiting <a href="https://www.bluebeepals.com/apps-bluebee-pals/" target="_blank">https://www.bluebeepals.com/apps-bluebee-pals/</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Rebecca Penina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15239592626939478818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2420146181275947118.post-59186783343579238012019-02-06T15:21:00.001-05:002019-02-06T15:24:21.904-05:00Are You Taking Advantage of Apple's iOS Accessibility Features To Promote Student Learning?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3geuGgig4Rd7PjItBEo6Lg5DgpOiGQFbZaUzgiurtKoCsrqxFhMEKixPLU9UbYH2EhyphenhyphenmOqer3VTvdlCvnyYbsAZpW9qby8OHe_uhB8Yg__ga4hGEMJYTW2PuEBiYIkMM-HHXu2yAczgR6/s1600/apple-accessibility-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="990" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3geuGgig4Rd7PjItBEo6Lg5DgpOiGQFbZaUzgiurtKoCsrqxFhMEKixPLU9UbYH2EhyphenhyphenmOqer3VTvdlCvnyYbsAZpW9qby8OHe_uhB8Yg__ga4hGEMJYTW2PuEBiYIkMM-HHXu2yAczgR6/s320/apple-accessibility-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Apple has included a variety of powerful assistive features that are built into the iPad itself to complement one's vision, hearing, motor skills, learning, and literacy. I am sharing some of these features below. All of this information has been gathered from Apple's website. Technology is constantly changing and improving with each iOS update. Apple offers free sessions at many of its stores on the topic of Accessibility and how its technology can play a beneficial role in one's life, especially those with special needs. To learn more, visit <a href="https://www.apple.com/today/">https://www.apple.com/today/</a>. You will need to change your location and search for sessions that focus on "Accessibility." You can also call your local Apple Store and ask to speak to the manager to inquire about setting up a session. Further, Apple has a 24/7 Accessibility Hotline where one can receive free support for Accessibility Features. That number is 1-877-204-3930. You can find some resources that include an iPad User Guide with Accessibility Features by visiting <a href="https://support.apple.com/accessibility/iphone-ipad">https://support.apple.com/accessibility/iphone-ipad</a>.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5d1PMZbne1eioPTYOJi1NVEpE0Yjr5TvLY5s-AKzqL38Qrf7L2D0CyB0ZDwyYjQtHXsttoOsmmJiauz1fW5zYVSruRmeUom1OsbjQjpveY_68VO3awZPArely8VAnQOU4BrNT_aJoGuYq/s1600/iOS+Vision.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="187" data-original-width="200" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5d1PMZbne1eioPTYOJi1NVEpE0Yjr5TvLY5s-AKzqL38Qrf7L2D0CyB0ZDwyYjQtHXsttoOsmmJiauz1fW5zYVSruRmeUom1OsbjQjpveY_68VO3awZPArely8VAnQOU4BrNT_aJoGuYq/s200/iOS+Vision.png" width="200" /></span></a></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">To accommodate users in the area of vision, Apple has built-in features that include but are not limited to: VoiceOver, Audio Descriptions, Display Accommodations, Zoom, Font Adjustments, Magnifier, Speak Screen, and Dictation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>VoiceOver Image Recognition</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">VoiceOver can now describe images to you, such as telling you if a photo features a tree, a dog, or four smiling faces. It can also read aloud text in an image — whether it’s a snapshot of a receipt or a magazine article — even if it hasn’t been annotated. And in the Photos app, you can touch to explore the facial expressions of people in your photos. Just tap the image with three fingers to have VoiceOver describe what’s there.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxV0GcbHBoSRfZs4bi2Ml5t9Da6UN7hZHme5FcRXolBJdj25mr0GDF9ktDBi88mOwPXuf-zUVVBykHaa3fDbkuPADsw6v1mvYz52jyZRwdY1BduX-GLVoJS9-RwWs3i0YTcWdJqT6lDavw/s1600/iPad+Vision.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="399" data-original-width="306" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxV0GcbHBoSRfZs4bi2Ml5t9Da6UN7hZHme5FcRXolBJdj25mr0GDF9ktDBi88mOwPXuf-zUVVBykHaa3fDbkuPADsw6v1mvYz52jyZRwdY1BduX-GLVoJS9-RwWs3i0YTcWdJqT6lDavw/s400/iPad+Vision.png" width="306" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Speak Screen</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Speak Screen feature can be used to read one's email, iMessages, web pages, and books if one has a hard time reading the text on the iPad. Turn on Speak Screen and swipe down from the top of the screen with two fingers, or just tell Siri to Speak Screen and have all the content on the page read back to you. You can adjust the voice’s dialect and speaking rate, and have words, sentences, or words within sentences highlighted as they’re being read. To learn more in detail about the various features that Apple offers to complement one's vision, visit </span><a href="https://www.apple.com/accessibility/ipad/vision/" style="font-family: inherit;">https://www.apple.com/accessibility/ipad/vision/</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOTEMwFDzkRjsRA5TXBBiHfSQQ_JkAd96HO-xUdw4VFOxjaWrfaBPitJxdYy5AdvdjCA6wis665Z_DF50hzRU_OIZvj62v75oNVPdhxAjcZJAFw-uRHlACUIbOn-GmqrjbUmDLN9D3Ogx5/s1600/ipad_hero_large.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="484" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOTEMwFDzkRjsRA5TXBBiHfSQQ_JkAd96HO-xUdw4VFOxjaWrfaBPitJxdYy5AdvdjCA6wis665Z_DF50hzRU_OIZvj62v75oNVPdhxAjcZJAFw-uRHlACUIbOn-GmqrjbUmDLN9D3Ogx5/s400/ipad_hero_large.png" width="283" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbm03BXWNamGCozUEd8tmif2L58zXlKmDtFt1D9_2UZ8tGKWd4Ab5OjEzEhKK0WFV1KvO2GXczzy2XaYnSnSJY4AkhE3ohdUQ_hms3qOK7M7JApSjnUYcYl1yu-u53C6XMxtvg-RzlxN6/s1600/Hearing.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbm03BXWNamGCozUEd8tmif2L58zXlKmDtFt1D9_2UZ8tGKWd4Ab5OjEzEhKK0WFV1KvO2GXczzy2XaYnSnSJY4AkhE3ohdUQ_hms3qOK7M7JApSjnUYcYl1yu-u53C6XMxtvg-RzlxN6/s1600/Hearing.png" /></span></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In iOS 12, Apple has included features to complement hearing to support various apps/tools on the iPad. For instance, one can actually ask Siri a question by using the onscreen keyboard to ask questions, set up reminders, issue commands, and more. This option is called "Type to Siri" and can be found in the Accessibility area of the Settings.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>Closed Captions</b></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Watch movies, TV shows, and podcasts with closed captions. Just look for the CC icon to buy or rent captioned movies from the iTunes Store or find captioned podcasts in iTunes U. Download straight to your iPad to watch on the go. iOS also supports open captions and subtitles. You can even customize captions with different styles and fonts, including styles that are larger and outlined for better legibility. For those who are deaf-blind, iPad lets VoiceOver users access closed caption and subtitle tracks through their braille displays.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Hearing Aids Made for the iPad</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9sr_iFTRgP5HNIF7N25p01QcfDg-an-kfk3Il0tOMXYlkqJQkW7eZl9AGHkGAdQI1Wywa4jojuLF79IxLPz_ySRJjmD7ahPP_T0j448BUXKAks_zIIVP3qf39fVOS5gvVhsuS6_TuqSX/s1600/made+for+iphone.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="400" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9sr_iFTRgP5HNIF7N25p01QcfDg-an-kfk3Il0tOMXYlkqJQkW7eZl9AGHkGAdQI1Wywa4jojuLF79IxLPz_ySRJjmD7ahPP_T0j448BUXKAks_zIIVP3qf39fVOS5gvVhsuS6_TuqSX/s320/made+for+iphone.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Apple has worked with top manufacturers to create hearing aids and sound </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">processors designed specifically for iPhone and iPad. These advanced </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">hearing devices provide outstanding sound quality, offer many helpful features, and are as easy to set up and use as any other Bluetooth device. You can quickly access the features and settings of your paired hearing device by triple-clicking the Home button. Glance at the battery status or change the left and right volume, together or separately. And quickly apply your audiologist’s environmental presets as you go outdoors or enter noisy locations, like restaurants, without having to rely on additional remotes. A</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">dditional information on Apple Accessibility features for Hearing can be found by visiting </span><a href="https://www.apple.com/accessibility/ipad/hearing/" style="font-family: inherit;">https://www.apple.com/accessibility/ipad/hearing/</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span><br />
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9gs7QylAOoqJ4Ng32ibH3U82G_KlJXCaZAx66ZmLd855G4ICOE7fC-AUYSmPg1ZiRfE04lhNvMd1RbLKAnfXYi9Ng6Gvw-j2oLeBjQWfYA3EgC6JOg6jsnRjUA_QxagVusLD8qX1dKQRV/s1600/Physical+and+Motor+Skills.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9gs7QylAOoqJ4Ng32ibH3U82G_KlJXCaZAx66ZmLd855G4ICOE7fC-AUYSmPg1ZiRfE04lhNvMd1RbLKAnfXYi9Ng6Gvw-j2oLeBjQWfYA3EgC6JOg6jsnRjUA_QxagVusLD8qX1dKQRV/s1600/Physical+and+Motor+Skills.png" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Switch Control</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Built directly into iOS, Switch Control is a powerful accessibility technology for anyone with extensive physical motor limitations. Switch Control allows you to navigate sequentially through onscreen items and perform specific actions using a variety of Bluetooth-enabled switch hardware. It also has features like expanded word prediction and a media playback menu to make it easier to use. And Switch Control is customizable for both beginners and advanced users — you can simplify existing actions or create your own.</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWaS4zy5RA0YxzF4cY5yuwhL2wxU95Kd5roieZuuxW0F-prCBQfUG7Sg76JZlxTYlzpMiDxU14CunVjTyc4-9eQhwkqkEqPlr3ruWecSZbXYKjRyzX4tD5si_UmUuCxhnq-1zeLUmesR82/s1600/ipad_physical_switch_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="498" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWaS4zy5RA0YxzF4cY5yuwhL2wxU95Kd5roieZuuxW0F-prCBQfUG7Sg76JZlxTYlzpMiDxU14CunVjTyc4-9eQhwkqkEqPlr3ruWecSZbXYKjRyzX4tD5si_UmUuCxhnq-1zeLUmesR82/s400/ipad_physical_switch_large.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div style="color: #333333;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>Assistive Touch</b></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The iPad is remarkably intuitive and easy to use. AssistiveTouch lets you adapt the Multi-Touch screen to your physical needs. So if you need to change some gestures, like pinch, you can make them accessible with just a tap of a finger. You can create your own gestures and even customize the layout of the Assistive Touch menu. And if you want an alternative to pressing the Home button, you can activate it with an onscreen tap. So if your iPad Home button is not working, this features comes in extremely handy! Gestures like rotate and shake are available even when your iPad is mounted on a wheelchair. And iOS devices support a number of third-party assistive devices that help you interact with your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqjQhXQE-A5bIUkFi_hMXF8F-b7z3RDzJZgasZq8N44oDK1Q-vQ332auM5xacmCjFxJ1SV3s05h653nuZBxka6lv-zT0FcOJ9hAjtHlml9BsN0oMhhjEOhaopX7qcYR_utWHRm5ku2IBoj/s1600/assistive+touch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="399" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqjQhXQE-A5bIUkFi_hMXF8F-b7z3RDzJZgasZq8N44oDK1Q-vQ332auM5xacmCjFxJ1SV3s05h653nuZBxka6lv-zT0FcOJ9hAjtHlml9BsN0oMhhjEOhaopX7qcYR_utWHRm5ku2IBoj/s320/assistive+touch.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.357px;">You can learn about additional features in the area of Physical and Motor Skills by visiting </span><a href="https://www.apple.com/accessibility/ipad/physical-and-motor-skills/" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #663399; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.357px;">https://www.apple.com/accessibility/ipad/physical-and-motor-skills/</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.357px;">.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.357px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAIqIf7JinOLlbTAICvUR3QsTzyXC1CE2KbIw3DyOTZELxud5iERrivT5IxEFUsZ0uYyoEPADkbPJRoDkX84lDCUiPj3vr4lg4yiFmvL03vnpFL7NL6blPTXz5zBj-o411wG5cI29ExUoO/s1600/Learning+and+Literacy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="196" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAIqIf7JinOLlbTAICvUR3QsTzyXC1CE2KbIw3DyOTZELxud5iERrivT5IxEFUsZ0uYyoEPADkbPJRoDkX84lDCUiPj3vr4lg4yiFmvL03vnpFL7NL6blPTXz5zBj-o411wG5cI29ExUoO/s1600/Learning+and+Literacy.png" /></span></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Reading Support</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The more senses that students use to learn new concepts and skills, there is a greater chance that they will process the material and be able to retain it at a deeper level. If you learn better when you can hear what you’re reading or writing, features like Speak Screen, Speak Selection, Typing Feedback, and Predictive Text can help by adding an auditory component to text. Turn on Speak Screen and swipe down from the top of the screen with two fingers, or just tell Siri to Speak Screen, to have all the content on pages read back to you. Or use Speak Selection to highlight the specific range of text you want to hear, in colors that you can customize. Then follow along as highlighted words, sentences, or words within each sentence are read aloud. And with Typing Feedback activated, each letter you type on the keyboard is spoken aloud as well. You can also use Predictive Text, which suggests word options that you can listen to and choose from to get help with spelling.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Guided Access</b></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Guided Access helps people with autism and/or other attention and sensory challenges stay focused on the task (or app) at hand. With Guided Access, a parent, teacher, or therapist can limit iPad to stay on one app by disabling the Home button and limit the amount of time spent in an app. You can even restrict access to the keyboard or touch input on certain areas of the screen, thereby limiting the amount of possible distractions.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0wb5rMplh7hNihUaaeXWzwGF4Tz6Z1aMPZvS6kHXAfnjJUlf9_bRX8_U6whYCaX6-x-nTj5_NoYN2aKSKv2hOlbaMUDosznxoHENeHxXTYdn6RG4OA5haW3fCty5cCjbrL2k81JZ06qN/s1600/ipad_featured_access_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="352" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0wb5rMplh7hNihUaaeXWzwGF4Tz6Z1aMPZvS6kHXAfnjJUlf9_bRX8_U6whYCaX6-x-nTj5_NoYN2aKSKv2hOlbaMUDosznxoHENeHxXTYdn6RG4OA5haW3fCty5cCjbrL2k81JZ06qN/s320/ipad_featured_access_large.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>Safari Reader</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
For some students, navigating the web can be a sensory overload. Safari Reader reduces the visual clutter. <span style="letter-spacing: -0.03em;">It strips away ads, buttons, and navigation bars, allowing you to focus on just the content you want. </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.03em;">And Safari Reader works with Speak Selection and VoiceOver to provide auditory reinforcement for what you’re seeing. You can learn about additional features in the area of Learning and Literacy by visiting </span></div>
<a href="https://www.apple.com/accessibility/ipad/learning-and-literacy/">https://www.apple.com/accessibility/ipad/learning-and-literacy/</a>.<br />
<div>
<div id="sites-canvas" role="main" style="padding-top: 5px;">
<div class="sites-canvas-main" id="sites-canvas-main" style="min-height: 150px; overflow: hidden; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-top: 15px;">
<div id="sites-canvas-main-content">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Want to know more information about various accessibility features and how to use them on the iPad? Check out my </span><a href="https://www.thinglink.com/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Thinglink</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> below. </span></div>
<div class="sites-canvas-main" id="sites-canvas-main" style="min-height: 150px; overflow: hidden; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-top: 15px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="278" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//www.thinglink.com/card/1149100239852929026" type="text/html" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="495"></iframe></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Rebecca Penina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15239592626939478818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2420146181275947118.post-51225526340983854982018-09-09T16:08:00.003-04:002018-09-09T16:09:55.066-04:00Enabling Your Students to Collaborate With Triventy Online Quizzes<span id="docs-internal-guid-f1b5f7c4-7fff-1095-4eb1-4c403483c6f3"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In today's classroom, in order to empower students and meet their educational needs, we rely on various instruments, such as, data driven instruction and formative assessments. This can be done through </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">gamified or game based learning and online Web 2.0 tools. There are a number of online formative assessment tools, some which are completely free and others that are free with premium paid features. Some of the popular ones include Kahoot!, Quizlet, and Quizziz. Last week, I stumbled on a free online formative assessment tool called </span><a href="http://www.triventy.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Triventy</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Triventy is a game-based learning platform which enables you to author, run, and host quizzes and surveys in your classroom. You have the option of creating your own quizzes, customizing public quizzes which have been pre created by other teachers, or running public quizzes "as is." Triventy is easy to use, self-explanatory, and walks you through the online application step by step. Your students will participate in the quiz using their smartphones - without any prior installation - while you run a quiz on a large screen, just like you would run a presentation. You can access Triventy by going to </span><a href="http://www.triventy.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Triventy.com. </span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Although Triventy has been around a few years, it does not seem to be as widely known as other online formative assessments. I found it very easy to use and was quite pleased with the results.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.triventy.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="700" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMpZTFDnnw-uizzqgt9hWIBQ2aiSq9quTrMjVGrXubqZxovBQi1aVxT5DbxCpHSiwFJcK44uKFzZzffPpkzaxhQJ2UUpHitJ_8KX4hsOi_6bD_-yWyBo36kT1tt40hWXKxOTp5RmVAB3NQ/s320/Triventy_logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, how does Triventy compare to other online formative assessments? I've used other formative online assessments such as Kahoot! and Quizziz. Below is a chart comparing and contrasting various online formative assessments compiled by Richard Byrne, well known blogger of </span><a href="https://www.freetech4teachers.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Free Technology For Teachers</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. You can download this chart from the following site </span><a href="https://www.freetech4teachers.com/2016/11/six-tools-for-creating-classroom-quiz.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.freetech4teachers.com/2016/11/six-tools-for-creating-classroom-quiz.html</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></span><a href="https://www.freetech4teachers.com/2016/11/six-tools-for-creating-classroom-quiz.html" style="background-color: transparent; text-align: center;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="1600" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE63R0daGMJHv-EAYJAQT3iISHmG4yu-eusnpKDfM5X_ZSO5QMRpvO18eLjqiZ0Qfokcb9EhFsVzX7aOiuDWoyR7JwEC47j8eplfEsIkusU04q6qjMO4iLg8swdvXnaBEt2-BhIF6pLy_H/s400/Richard+Byrne-+QuizGameToolsComparison.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-82f96bb0-7fff-780e-e4df-ed971dc347b5"></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So are you ready to create your very own Triventy quiz now? Here's what you need to do. First, you need to sign up for a Triventy account. Open a browser and go to http://www.triventy.com/</span><a href="http://www.triventy.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.triventy.com/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> You will be signing up for a FREE "Education" account. (If you sign for an "Events" account, it will charge you, so make sure to click on the "Education" button.) </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPqBOmYlAkD5_tYy7ZbIbZ6c27F9gzMsyIQqdr5-b6qCag6yN42veKAEvJ8WS651sdq8j5gJ_oKTbHR2zNF4CdpsJCyDBCLebUT2wxH2WlIAyvvqjgg8Uo6T-nAcDB3PXOXPZjHg4rWadc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-09-06+at+7.58.57+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="682" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPqBOmYlAkD5_tYy7ZbIbZ6c27F9gzMsyIQqdr5-b6qCag6yN42veKAEvJ8WS651sdq8j5gJ_oKTbHR2zNF4CdpsJCyDBCLebUT2wxH2WlIAyvvqjgg8Uo6T-nAcDB3PXOXPZjHg4rWadc/s400/Screen+Shot+2018-09-06+at+7.58.57+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When using Triventy, you have three options: </span></span></div>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You can create your own quiz.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You can run a public quiz "as-is."</span></span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You can customize a public quiz to meet the needs of your class.</span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-e98a7b67-7fff-9517-0725-6c8dffd7bbeb"></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In order to create your own quizzes, you will need to login. Once you are logged in, go to "My Quizzes" (upper right menu), and click the "Create New Quiz" button located in the upper left hand corner. </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinmcQIJvynD8mU67JTn3dEeQR3Ddit1rnTkDUiKI7QMMGuW6TeqFk47HHlNkYdngq_92RXhA7q2jdsUCt12ZxeZusaaewXtRDzr1iM3EBADscItiRWt5t4HMYOkJ8rmn26iYP2LD2fp631/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-09-07+at+3.25.49+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="1212" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinmcQIJvynD8mU67JTn3dEeQR3Ddit1rnTkDUiKI7QMMGuW6TeqFk47HHlNkYdngq_92RXhA7q2jdsUCt12ZxeZusaaewXtRDzr1iM3EBADscItiRWt5t4HMYOkJ8rmn26iYP2LD2fp631/s400/Screen+Shot+2018-09-07+at+3.25.49+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-836bef35-7fff-5ab5-7731-1cfd724525f8"></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Once you do that, you will be able to enter the editor mode for your quiz. Follow the directions on the image below in order to create your very own quiz. </span></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHqVHM1IOdcnktOpgRpNEu0I-witkTuG1PVH83Z4ySrvCgudqN9asyegpnv3oj4bkLgNaxFzyAdFrR74rFUiFwPdvohZAxqwR_cDYXx7KHfN4NMArqiUz5orELz1o1pOGzC23juo3svb7/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-09-07+at+3.16.12+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="688" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHqVHM1IOdcnktOpgRpNEu0I-witkTuG1PVH83Z4ySrvCgudqN9asyegpnv3oj4bkLgNaxFzyAdFrR74rFUiFwPdvohZAxqwR_cDYXx7KHfN4NMArqiUz5orELz1o1pOGzC23juo3svb7/s400/Screen+Shot+2018-09-07+at+3.16.12+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
After you follow the directions above, make sure to save your quiz. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There's also the option of customizing a public quiz to meet the needs of your own students. To customize a public quiz, go to "Public Quizzes." Find the quiz that you would like to use and select the "Customize" button. The quiz will be duplicated into your quizzes list where you will be able to edit it from there and make your own.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;">There may be times that you will find a public quiz that will be suitable for your class and therefore, no editing is necessary. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN7XgleKydXJDaoHdeogPIV4M-PUUVGBU6-8pVBzk3oyvJAW-AXkK2gdqqIPX8Rr9XRiTPMT1UEeJ6BI7Iqqlrc0VZDB9PZJe9mexIYSxNgFx4RIoLzCPMaBZP_K24wzgvGoW0fhyphenhyphenich5P/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-09-07+at+5.24.22+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="344" data-original-width="624" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN7XgleKydXJDaoHdeogPIV4M-PUUVGBU6-8pVBzk3oyvJAW-AXkK2gdqqIPX8Rr9XRiTPMT1UEeJ6BI7Iqqlrc0VZDB9PZJe9mexIYSxNgFx4RIoLzCPMaBZP_K24wzgvGoW0fhyphenhyphenich5P/s400/Screen+Shot+2018-09-07+at+5.24.22+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: left;">
As mentioned above, Triventy gives you the ability to allow your students to add questions in your quizzes. When you are in editing mode, click on "Invite others to to add questions to this quiz..." Check the box to share. A popup window will open that provides options as to how you can share it.</div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCdQlmFDKgqmn9Izcju-vsi8_JNut12ERqt6qqIHHOkSHGmgzkK4pIjW79VW-lQR0KgWqaLRTi__wBJ3sr430XeI13tJ63ld47t4kwX7f0Ezg1c3et9VTH-Nb2f5ydr9zdc7oiazld__lo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-09-07+at+5.32.09+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="573" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCdQlmFDKgqmn9Izcju-vsi8_JNut12ERqt6qqIHHOkSHGmgzkK4pIjW79VW-lQR0KgWqaLRTi__wBJ3sr430XeI13tJ63ld47t4kwX7f0Ezg1c3et9VTH-Nb2f5ydr9zdc7oiazld__lo/s400/Screen+Shot+2018-09-07+at+5.32.09+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: left;">
So now that you've experienced using Triventy, what are the practical applications of this technology tool? What kinds of students could you use it with? When using technology in education, we want to make sure that we use it to enhance, extend, and even redefine our students' learning; we do not want to use technology for the sake of using technology. Using Triventy in a classroom is an easy way to not only assess our students, but to give our students a chance to collaborate with us as well; especially those who might be shy or fearful in expressing their thoughts and opinions in a typical manner. You will be happy that you did and your students will be too!</div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
Rebecca Penina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15239592626939478818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2420146181275947118.post-44284748694736377802018-05-16T11:46:00.000-04:002018-05-16T11:46:05.537-04:00It's a Bird....It's a Plane...It's a Finch Robot at the Maker Xpo!<span style="font-family: inherit;">In recent years, there has been much hype around <a class="" href="https://www.ed.gov/stem" target="_blank">STEM</a> (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math); hence the creation of "STEM classes" and "<a href="http://www.makerspaceforeducation.com/makerspace.html" target="_blank">Maker Spaces</a>." Too often, something that first starts off as innovative unfortunately has the potential to become a fad, because all of a sudden, anyone and everyone is participating in it. Because of this, it's very easy to lose sight of the "big picture" and forget WHY we adopted the initiative to begin with. Therefore, it's always important to set goals for what skills are to be accomplished through this task. Our <a href="https://www.sinaischools.org/">SINAI Schools</a> students had the pleasure of participating in this year's <a href="http://jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com/makerxpo-highlights-day-school-students-creativity-tech-competency/">Maker XPO</a> for the purpose of inclusion and was the only Special Needs school participating. When choosing an idea for a booth, I also wanted to make sure that it would provide them an experience through which they could strengthen their critical thinking skills as well as the opportunity to be immersed in an experience with STEM that would be relevant to them.</span><div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One of the key elements when teaching a STEM curriculum is making it relevant, concrete, and multi-sensory. This is even more important when presenting such concepts to students with special needs. Too often, people who are unfamiliar with students who have special needs believe that they either can't be taught, or they need to be spoon-fed the information as they are not able to learn the material themselves. How wrong they are. If the material is presented in a clear, relevant, concrete, multi-sensory, and exciting way, there's no reason at all that these students cannot reach their full potential.<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "open sans" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span> </span><br />
When it came to selecting a booth for this year's Maker XPO, it was important for me to choose an activity that exhibited the qualities mentioned above as well as being one which my students would be able to teach themselves; I wanted them to have a sense of empowerment and be in control of their own learning. When one teaches him or herself the content, there is a greater sense of appreciation afterward because he or she knows the amount of effort and dedication that goes into learning the content.<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "open sans" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "open sans" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">GIVE a man a fish and you feed him for a day. TEACH him how to fish and you feed him for his lifetime.</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-style: italic;"> — Italian proverb.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "open sans" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span><br />
The choice for an activity was crystal clear. I decided to contact <a href="https://www.birdbraintechnologies.com/">Birdbrain Technologies</a> and ask if we could borrow their <a href="https://www.birdbraintechnologies.com/finch/">Finch Robots</a>. So what are the Finch Robots you may ask? And why would it be something so intriguing for our students? As I mentioned beforehand, teaching a STEM curriculum can be very dry and abstract; it's all about the presentation. The content and skills need to be presented in a clear, direct, concrete, and relevant manner. In addition, many students with special needs have a hard time with flexibility; rather they are rigid and need to be in control of their own of their own learning environment. Using the Finch Robots to teach computer science programming accomplishes those tasks providing the user full control of his or her learning environment, an opportunity to strengthen higher order thinking skills, and last but not least, a multi-sensory learning experience. It's a win-win situation for everyone.<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "open sans" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxPrz29Nf-0krNKxl5uHKM2mVShDuJ3fCd7VuEWC7fg1IhAK47hCAauwkZspH65kZcgKv0YKZ7oSAB_feyEO6DBRkTV70QOY31pVG49H6FD0izJr_OAzMsqtE-0Qw9d0DyRIyddx1elcHE/s1600/Birdbrain+Technologies.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="190" data-original-width="646" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxPrz29Nf-0krNKxl5uHKM2mVShDuJ3fCd7VuEWC7fg1IhAK47hCAauwkZspH65kZcgKv0YKZ7oSAB_feyEO6DBRkTV70QOY31pVG49H6FD0izJr_OAzMsqtE-0Qw9d0DyRIyddx1elcHE/s400/Birdbrain+Technologies.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUCxkPbtaN1uaca1bnr7mflchwnrmNmL0IZbQh716iZXoj8mum7oBe0eBALxFSnSO0Vn6NrNo9NqB3vuI6-JUN5NNqhN-bgn5pelUYFtPJjBZ54uvwV12IDhpLggWrTmBMb_CXgfgwEz7u/s1600/finch-robot-slide.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="880" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUCxkPbtaN1uaca1bnr7mflchwnrmNmL0IZbQh716iZXoj8mum7oBe0eBALxFSnSO0Vn6NrNo9NqB3vuI6-JUN5NNqhN-bgn5pelUYFtPJjBZ54uvwV12IDhpLggWrTmBMb_CXgfgwEz7u/s400/finch-robot-slide.png" width="400" /></a> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOgol587j_kq5ybIVCOzCZ6iiyx8oohvwcbd0m0IkQ3IE25yQAVh1u508AwGZKhxNcD0fUf5DN3xBHoZppZRiCtSxqa1Olh1Whu6NtNugwyFF_pTZkkNjVQb8qn9jdTKX_KSWcnadopQ06/s1600/Screenshot+2017-12-27+13.30.40.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="800" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOgol587j_kq5ybIVCOzCZ6iiyx8oohvwcbd0m0IkQ3IE25yQAVh1u508AwGZKhxNcD0fUf5DN3xBHoZppZRiCtSxqa1Olh1Whu6NtNugwyFF_pTZkkNjVQb8qn9jdTKX_KSWcnadopQ06/s400/Screenshot+2017-12-27+13.30.40.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
So, how does it work you ask? Finch Robots can be programmed through the languages of <a href="https://scratch.mit.edu/">Scratch</a> or <a href="https://snap.berkeley.edu/">Snap</a> which are both very visually based and user-friendly. For purposes of this project, I chose to use Snap. When the Finch robot is connected via USB to the computer, the students use Snap to build a program or "script" by dragging and dropping blocks together. There are a variety of commands that one can choose from, including but not limited to: controls, motions, looks, and sounds. These controls enable the user full control of the program thereby making it very user-friendly.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="122" data-original-width="298" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBH6F29k3CrLjXpS_9mqeAWHT5NanmzKfkXxPUIsymVYFpkL-HT9A1ZKfS27jQL-SYFlFhXMmH1drw4OV8ltuN2O9rB-mQuAswXJTbC_364OrCACnpMFon0lp9jNBtpWjjcg9gRO6D930v/s400/SnapcloudButton.png" width="400" /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="1268" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0bg3Bx2D5FpB8N17Ln8JTxXQEg3k3zjuXnrvXnboOsWSM9WOXC9EqZUZZhv01T3FBip5w23SNFxbCOvGGLeOOmFK31p-nYyl5nfG5mu9F1vMJX9jSTZGmO806ZsHDr2YRWi-H43DY1xol/s400/Screen+Shot+2018-05-15+at+1.05.07+PM.png" width="400" /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
While the students were at the Maker XPO, they were able to apply the skills that they learned and teach the program to participants with full confidence. <br /><br />Mrs. Smith* and her daughters expressed how pleased they were that they came and saw Miriam* at the XPO today. She sent the following email: "Just want to reiterate how rewarding it was for Miriam to participate in the XPO today. We too enjoyed seeing her in action. "<br /><br />Mrs. Klein* texted about Sarah: "She had an amazing time, what an experience for her!!! Thank you!"<br /><br />Sima Kelner, Director of SINAI @Maaynot Yeshiva High School for Girls expressed her enthusiasm as well, "The girls felt such pride, as did I, watching them lead, explain and educate. The project you picked was on target and you prepared the girls so well for their role both by teaching them how it worked as well as role-playing how to interact with those who came to the table. Karen* told me she wished we could have stayed longer!"<br /><br />This is a testament that every child wants to learn and every child can learn. Given the right materials, environment, experience, and presentation, every child will be able to learn successfully thereby being able to reach his or her potential. How will you ensure that your students reach their potential the next time you present them with material that could otherwise be dry and abstract? What will you do to ensure that it's presented in an exciting and relevant manner so that they will connect with it? That's definitely something to think about.<br /><br />*Names have been changed to protect privacy.</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "open sans" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Rebecca Penina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15239592626939478818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2420146181275947118.post-1038292372466607152016-08-14T17:50:00.001-04:002016-08-14T17:52:22.377-04:00Professional Growth Just for Me at SMARTee Summit 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCAi8itKJHVnVtCdcBpw9DVwEx1mW43O51_S4klHh0lAlSmVXpIDh4HomVbcNtKD5v6lwQpptu2ArohP1HhImNIXJZ9bxi2fpVLt5H5eDRQQtNdvd9tNInjzlEtcTBSQXNU0RsAnQCb_hH/s1600/DSCF4734.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCAi8itKJHVnVtCdcBpw9DVwEx1mW43O51_S4klHh0lAlSmVXpIDh4HomVbcNtKD5v6lwQpptu2ArohP1HhImNIXJZ9bxi2fpVLt5H5eDRQQtNdvd9tNInjzlEtcTBSQXNU0RsAnQCb_hH/s400/DSCF4734.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I'm sure you've heard the saying, "Teachers are the worst audience." If you have a bunch of teachers in the audience and you find that they are chatting away, it's most likely because they are not finding the speaker or activity very entertaining or relevant to their professional learning and growth. The same thing applies to our students. If our students do not find the learning to be relevant, they're not going to enjoy learning either. But what about when the professional learning is custom designed to meet their needs? <br />
<br />
And that's what the SMART Technologies Global SEE (SMART Exemplary Educator) Summit 2016 was all about. After a hard year's work of teaching - and everything else that we do in the field of education, teachers need time to recharge. It's important to receive professional learning in a way that not just enables us, but encourages us, to collaborate with others in our field. Sometimes, those of us who work in the field of Educational Technology feel alone or isolated, as if others do not understand what we do or why we do it (which is an entirely separate discussion). And as much as I love the use of technology, it's never going to replace face to face learning in terms of social interaction. It's for this reason that SMART brought 57 educators from around the globe to its headquarters in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. <br />
<br />
So what did we do during the five days that we were there? The theme was "Teachers are Superheroes." This is something that we educators know in the back of our minds, right? Yet, it's important that others acknowledge this as well. In addition, it's nice to feel appreciated. Therefore, many of the activities revolved around the theme; from the superhero dinner, the decorations, icebreakers, and more. Of course, this was just the beginning.<br />
<br />
Throughout the school year, I am often in contact with developers of various software at different companies, including SMART Technologies. I appreciate the fact that these developers value what we educators have to say. It's great actually being able to visit them in Calgary at HQ and meet them face to face. The entire SMART family - the Executives, developers, engineers, and everyone else in between, was as welcoming as could be. They truly value our input and put education at the top of their list. <br />
<br />
And then there's the "Hackathon"...... (For those of you who don't know what a Hackathon is, click <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackathon" target="_blank">here</a>.) Imagine that you are given the opportunity to be innovative, creative, and/or transform something from better to the best. That's what the Hackathon at SMART is all about. Currently in its third year, we SEEs have a chance to sit and collaborate with SMART developers and engineers. It could be a piece of hardware or software that we are looking to develop. Or, it could be taking something that is already in existence and transforming it to be even a better product. It's the chance to say that ANYTHING and EVERYTHING is possible. This is probably my favorite part of summit. So this year, we developed a... Oops! I can't tell you that - sorry!<br />
<br />
I have to mention the Superhero dinner too at the <a href="https://www.calgaryzoo.com/" target="_blank">Calgary Zoo</a>. I don't think I've ever seen so many superheroes together at once in all of my life! So many superheroes including but not limited to: Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, and let's not forget Minnie Mouse, Pippi Longstocking and Santa Claus! The spirit in the air was contagious!<br />
<br />
It was also refreshing to take some time to learn offsite at Calgary's beautiful <a href="http://www.heritagepark.ca/" target="_blank">Heritage Park</a>. We spent part of the afternoon on a scavenger hunt learning about what life in the 1800's was like in western Canada. Some of us took a boat ride on the S.S. Moyie while others went on a horse and buggy ride. Just be sure to watch out where you step!<br />
<br />
We were told time and time again, that we are the "Best of the Best of the Best," but I can honestly say that we educators only become great superheroes when we have sidekicks and superpowers that support our daily challenges in education. We could not have done it without you, SMART. So thanks for helping us defeat our challenges and make what seems impossible, possible.Rebecca Penina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15239592626939478818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2420146181275947118.post-16051502382230502652016-07-06T10:03:00.001-04:002016-07-18T10:17:59.656-04:00ISTE 2016 - Are You Using Tech as Your Superpower?From the 3 C's (Conversion, Curriculum, Collaboration), to digital playgrounds, from flying pigs to virtual reality, <a href="https://conference.iste.org/2016/">ISTE 2016 Denver</a> was a conference not to be missed! There are many ways that I can make tech my "superpower." (If you did miss ISTE 2016, please see this crowdsourcing sheet <a href="http://tinyurl.com/crowdsourcingiste16">http://tinyurl.com/crowdsourcingiste16</a> compiled by Tzvi Pittinsky (<a href="https://twitter.com/TechRav">@TechRav</a>) and other colleagues of mine. You will find notes and resources from over 50 sessions that people attended.) This year, I was fortunate to be a SMART Technologies Trade Show Teacher. Because of this opportunity, I spent more time in the Expo Hall than in various sessions. I spent a lot of my time on the giving end; whether it was networking with various educators on the use of EdTech in their classrooms or providing feedback to vendors whom I have a positive relationship with. I also met with a variety of vendors about the development of new technologies. Because I spent a lot of time in the Expo Hall, it was very easy to get caught up in the new fads and trends that are on display. I had to stop myself a moment and think to myself, "What is the purpose of these new tools? How are they going to affect my students' learning? Why should I buy them?" Going into the new school year, we need to remember that education comes first. After all, all of us superheroes need a plan, right?<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUNGg7ifp9HGEcPMikfY0Ci7TPm8QZiVgwRpOaBjjYGTfjktCdZsRKDspfdT_kBkRLc4vx9vK_UGYbCkGLle3tEyEzT50cJS5S4dUQsqnVw1Vw3013ZVycGKHv929EznAddg1F1nfNfo4K/s1600/What+do+you+wants+kids+to+do+with+technology.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUNGg7ifp9HGEcPMikfY0Ci7TPm8QZiVgwRpOaBjjYGTfjktCdZsRKDspfdT_kBkRLc4vx9vK_UGYbCkGLle3tEyEzT50cJS5S4dUQsqnVw1Vw3013ZVycGKHv929EznAddg1F1nfNfo4K/s640/What+do+you+wants+kids+to+do+with+technology.jpg" width="366" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Created by <a href="https://twitter.com/plugusin">Bill Ferriter</a></div>
<br />
<div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; margin-bottom: 1.1em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This past year, I participated in a school leadership program. One of the first things I learned about was "The Golden Circle: How Great Leaders Inspire Action." Developed by <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action" target="_blank">Simon Sinek of the TED Talks</a>, the "Golden Circle" focuses on first thinking about WHY we do things, followed by HOW and WHAT we do. So how does this translate into use of EdTech? As I mentioned above, it's very easy to get lost and caught up in all of the excitement of the newest tools or trends. What we need to think about is WHY are we using the new tools or trends in our classrooms. Why are you using Virtual Reality? Why are you creating a Makerspace? Is this something that is aligned to your <a href="http://www.thenerdyteacher.com/2012/10/2020-technology.html" target="_blank">20/20 vision of Educational Technology integration</a>? Is this something that is going to extend student learning academically, socially, or emotionally? It's a good idea to think about why you are implementing new technologies in your school and create a plan before you actually do so. It seems like common sense, doesn't it? Too often, administrators purchase technologies with government funding without a proper vision at hand. Don't let that happen to you. </span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; margin-bottom: 1.1em; padding: 0px;">
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; line-height: 21.06px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4a4a4a; line-height: 21.06px; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/u4ZoJKF_VuA/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u4ZoJKF_VuA?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; line-height: 21.06px;">
<br /></div>
I have recently accepted the position as Director of Educational Technology at a school for students with special needs. Part of me feels that there will be a huge learning curve as I am not a Special Needs teacher. On the other hand, if I focus on the "WHY" and a proper vision, my job will be that much easier. Putting education first before the technology software and hardware will make a huge difference. In the past, I have found the websites <a href="http://www.teacherswithapps.com/" target="_blank">teacherswithapps</a> developed by Special Ed Teacher Jayne Clare and <a href="http://a4cwsn.com/" target="_blank">A4CWSN</a> (Apps 4 Children With Special Needs) developed by parent Gary James extremely helpful. They review many apps with a "fine tooth comb." If an app on their websites receives a good rating, I know it's one of high quality. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpuImjXrX2U1HbOg_5os5CJRQ5gc7UmjAY5S_rPRhmUo4dnnmx6fS-6K6z5Fw2xBFsQQsmApt6FeYKVZrJVNH1iSbBLXYBjtOu7OMubRL6aAby9nHDl2XMIgMzdtSdCw0Mjg34T53POsu0/s1600/quote2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpuImjXrX2U1HbOg_5os5CJRQ5gc7UmjAY5S_rPRhmUo4dnnmx6fS-6K6z5Fw2xBFsQQsmApt6FeYKVZrJVNH1iSbBLXYBjtOu7OMubRL6aAby9nHDl2XMIgMzdtSdCw0Mjg34T53POsu0/s320/quote2.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.wiche.edu/">US Department of Education</a></div>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white;">
Are you, your school, or your district in the process of designing a digital curriculum? When I mentioned the 3 C's above, I was referring to Conversion (to mobile devices), Curriculum, and Collaboration which are components to choosing digital content and curriculum. At ISTE, I had the honor and privilege of participating in a panel focused on the 3C's led by <a href="https://twitter.com/keciaray" target="_blank">Dr. Kecia Ray</a> of the <a href="http://www.centerdigitaled.com/" target="_blank">Center for Digital Education</a> (CDE) and ISTE Board Chair in partnership with <a href="http://www.samsung.com/us/business/by-industry/education/" target="_blank">Samsung Education</a>. During the panel, district leaders discussed ways that they are using the 3 C's in their schools in order to extend student learning. Technology should be used as a tool to engage, enhance, and extend student learning. If there's no place for technology in the instruction, one should not feel pressured to use it. I would recommend visiting CDE's website where you can access many high quality resources, including but not limited to: <a href="http://www.centerdigitaled.com/paper/Succeeding-with-Education-Transformation-42119.html?promo_code=CDE_web_library_list" target="_blank">Succeeding With Education Transformation</a> (which focuses on the 3 C's), <a href="http://www.centerdigitaled.com/paper/Guide-to-Choosing-Digital-Content-and-Curriculum-41458.html?promo_code=CDE_web_library_list" target="_blank">Guide to Choosing Digital Content and Curriculum</a>, and <a href="http://www.centerdigitaled.com/k-12/ISTE-2016-5-Takeaways-for-Ed-Tech-Leaders.html" target="_blank">ISTE 2016: 5 Takeaways for EdTech Leaders</a>. </div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<br />
The above resources are merely a place to start....there are plenty more available. I hope you find them useful as I have. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv4_jfDfelsPMw9VOLVPwYi1Ml40khEAIqycfIuG_0NXAeg26dpnC5Ar-QknUAZcemE72X3dVNSsGgnXxIfbVDd1g0hkoTXIi39XppQnQuBtDX2YMULHDY_yotFyY90h0w989sY249uZRN/s1600/Technology+in+the+hands+of+great+teachers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv4_jfDfelsPMw9VOLVPwYi1Ml40khEAIqycfIuG_0NXAeg26dpnC5Ar-QknUAZcemE72X3dVNSsGgnXxIfbVDd1g0hkoTXIi39XppQnQuBtDX2YMULHDY_yotFyY90h0w989sY249uZRN/s320/Technology+in+the+hands+of+great+teachers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Remember - "Technology will not replace great teachers but technology in the hands of great teachers can be transformational,"says <a href="https://twitter.com/gcouros" target="_blank">George Couros</a>. So how will YOU be using tech as your superpower this coming school year?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; line-height: 21.06px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; color: #4a4a4a; line-height: 21.06px; margin-bottom: 1.1em; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; color: #4a4a4a; line-height: 21.06px; margin-bottom: 1.1em; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Rebecca Penina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15239592626939478818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2420146181275947118.post-4429081132722522672016-05-09T08:44:00.000-04:002016-05-09T08:44:00.869-04:00Pairing Best Learning Practices With Technology<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When integrating Educational Technology, it is important to pair best learning practices to engage students and maximize their success. Several best practices include: Learning Through Collaboration, Learning Culture, Problem Solving, Digital Content Implementation, and Information and Knowledge. Research confirms that the use and frequency of teaching and learning best practices makes a difference in technology rich classrooms. We want our students to learn independently, be creative, think critically as well as be successful socially and emotionally. To make this happen, it is important to create a visible learning environment. Visible learning entails that our instruction aligns to the the ways that our students learn outside of the classroom. It's no surprise that one of the best practices is Digital Content Implementation. We need to take into account that our students spend hours outside of school using various technologies, many of them participating in game based activities. This is one reason that there has been a push for gamification, or game based learning in the classroom. (You can also read my blogpost <a href="http://edblog.smarttech.com/2016/03/bring-gamification-to-your-classroom-with-smart-lab-activities/" target="_blank">"Bring Gamification to Your Classroom With SMART Lab"</a> by visiting <a href="http://edblog.smarttech.com/" target="_blank">SMART's EdBlog</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Using gamification in the classroom is a great way to engage students, as it is a form of visible learning. When developing games to implement in instruction, there are several things to keep in mind. First of all, we need to remember that in order to maximize student success, teaching practices need to be put first, followed by educational software and hardware. Second, we need to create an "active learning" environment for our students. "Active learning" means our students engage with the content, they are active participants, and they collaborate with each other. We cannot nor we should we not expect our students to simply listen and memorize the material. Rather, we should encourage our students to help and demonstrate a process, analyze an argument, or apply a concept to a real-world situation. We want our students to see themselves as their own teachers as this enables us educators to be the "guide on the side" as we act as facilitators instead of being the "sage on the stage." According to Dr. Kecia Ray, Executive Director of the Center for Digital Education, "Active Learning environments are critical to student success and the use of technology in these spaces amplifies the level of engagement we can expect to see."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">To create an "active learning" environment using gamification, I have used <a href="http://education.smarttech.com/en/products/smart-learning-suite/smart-lab" target="_blank">SMART lab</a> (formerly SMART LAT), SMART Response, and <a href="https://getkahoot.com/" target="_blank">Kahoot</a>. These tools have readily available content created by other teachers that can be used as is or can be modified to fit the needs of one's class. When I enjoy creating content for my students, my students will enjoy learning it. Utilizing Educational Technology has most certainly had a positive impact on my students' test scores. Not only have my students enjoyed learning the content, but they also grasped the material at a greater extent than they did beforehand. Out of the six sections in the grade, my class' reading comprehension skills were stronger when compared to the other classes that were not using Educational Technology to aid with game based learning. The proof is in the pudding.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">How much do you know about pairing best learning practices with technology in order to maximize teacher and student success? You can test your knowledge by playing my SMART lab activity which you can download <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2-tx4S6NaWfVGVkWGl4Sk5GaG8" target="_blank">here</a>. Have fun!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CV4nfx7Eevv8JDwsuQ_8-S-e_U2Hc6izkKTKIaPVyFGbtEBublaR9OoimZT1ObD3foYM69Q5iq0VPDdKxSvmm48hyphenhyphenFygqtDwzN40K2sJ1WQ-6rOOL14fnYw_XzjvmT04X3gvoyw3GvZF/s1600/Pairing+Best+Learning+Practices+With+Tech+NB+image.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CV4nfx7Eevv8JDwsuQ_8-S-e_U2Hc6izkKTKIaPVyFGbtEBublaR9OoimZT1ObD3foYM69Q5iq0VPDdKxSvmm48hyphenhyphenFygqtDwzN40K2sJ1WQ-6rOOL14fnYw_XzjvmT04X3gvoyw3GvZF/s400/Pairing+Best+Learning+Practices+With+Tech+NB+image.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>Rebecca Penina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15239592626939478818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2420146181275947118.post-57481403870264870922016-05-04T23:31:00.000-04:002016-05-04T23:36:11.067-04:00Lessons Learned From an Inspiring Teacher<div class="instructions default-style" style="box-sizing: content-box; color: #4a4a4a; line-height: 1.62em; margin-bottom: 50px;">
<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; line-height: 1.62em; margin-bottom: 1.1em; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;">
<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; line-height: 1.62em; margin-bottom: 1.1em; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;">
Teachers are leaders who support us. No matter what grade we are in - whether it's preschool <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">through post-graduate and beyond, we are never too old or too smart to be inspired by a teacher. My story takes place only a few years ago, when I was completing a year long course in Educational Technology Integration.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; line-height: 1.62em; margin-bottom: 1.1em; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">As part of the course, I was required to blog about my experiences and reflections of using various EdTech tools in the classroom as well as different kinds of student centered learning. I never liked writing - especially creative writing. I don't know whether this was due to my inability to focus or maybe it was my fear of being vulnerable. People from all over the world would be reading my thoughts. What if they didn't agree with them?</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; line-height: 1.62em; margin-bottom: 1.1em; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;">
I <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">was fortunate that my course facilitator was Dr. Shira Leibowitz. (You can find her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/shiraleibowitz" target="_blank">@shiraleibowitz</a>.) Dr. Leibowitz realized my passion for EdTech integration through reading my blogposts (which eventually led to her hiring me as an EdTech Coach for her school) and she therefore continued to challenge me to think and reflect on the topics that I blogged about by responding to my blogposts in the following way:</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; line-height: 1.62em; margin-bottom: 1.1em; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;">
1) I notice....</div>
<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; line-height: 1.62em; margin-bottom: 1.1em; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;">
2) I wonder.....?</div>
<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; line-height: 1.62em; margin-bottom: 1.1em; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;">
3) What if.....?</div>
<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; line-height: 1.62em; margin-bottom: 1.1em; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;">
4) How might....?</div>
<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; line-height: 1.62em; margin-bottom: 1.1em; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">By posing these questions as a response to my blog, I was challenged to think critically and discover more about myself. As teachers, it's our jobs to teach our students to become independent learners and think critically for themselves. Spoon feeding them and taking the "easy way out," might make things easier in the moment, but it's not doing anything but an injustice for them and for us in the long run. When we teach our students to think and discover on their own, not only are we challenging them to think critically, but we are also preparing the generation of leaders. </span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
Rebecca Penina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15239592626939478818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2420146181275947118.post-9769509305981217322016-02-21T10:37:00.002-05:002016-02-21T10:37:16.009-05:00Bring Gamification to Your Classroom With LAB Games from SMART <div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;">
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; line-height: 21.06px;">
In recent years, there has been a push for gamification in the educational setting. According to <a href="http://janemcgonigal.com/" target="_blank">Jane McGonigal</a>, game designer and author, playing games can have several benefits, which include: urgent optimism, social fabric, blissful productivity, and epic meaning. (You can learn more about benefits of playing games by watching Jane McGonigal's TED Talk entitled <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world?language=en#t-6498" target="_blank">"Gaming Can Make a Better World."</a> Because of the push for gamification, SMART Technologies has developed the Lesson Activity Builder (LAB) for SMART Notebook 15. Eventually, the LAB, which is HTML5 based, will replace the Lesson Activity Toolkit, which is Flash based. <a href="http://downloads01.smarttech.com/media/sitecore/en/support/product/esi/esi2015win/nbrelnotes_winmac_v22jan16.pdf" target="_blank">(Future versions of SMART Notebook will no longer support Flash.)</a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; line-height: 21.06px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; line-height: 21.06px;">
So what is this new LAB all about? And why is it so beneficial to your students? As I mentioned above, SMART's new LAB brings gamification to the classroom. As an educator, when I enjoy creating content for my students, my students are going to enjoy learning using that content. That's what LAB is all about. The best thing about LAB is that SMART has already designed the activities with some attractive and engaging themes. All you have to do is just add your content and you're ready to bring it to your classroom for your students to enjoy. It's that simple!</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; line-height: 21.06px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; line-height: 21.06px;">
The LAB Activities or Games are best used for informal assessment. You can add whatever content you want; whether it's math, science, social studies, english language arts, and foreign languages. At this point in time, there are currently several types of activities you can choose from in the LAB:</div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
</div>
<ul style="color: #4a4a4a; line-height: 21.06px;">
<li><span style="line-height: 21.06px;">Super Sort - Students sort items into two groups. The items disappear if they're sorted correctly, but they go back to be re-sorted if they're put in the wrong category.</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 21.06px;">Shout it Out! - Students use a web browser on their web enabled devices to connect to an activity and contribute words or images.</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 21.06px;">Rank Order - Students can arrange items into an order selected by the teacher. </span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 21.06px;">Flip Out - Students flip the cards over to reveal what the teacher has put on the other side.</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 21.06px;">Fill in the Blanks - Students drag and drop items to fill in the missing words, phrases or numbers in any passage. </span></li>
<li>Match 'Em Up! - Students can match items by dragging and dropping. </li>
<li>Label Reveal - This activity will help students learn the names of the constituent parts of the images the teacher chooses.</li>
<li>Speedup - Students race each other as they answer multiple choice questions provided by the teacher. The faster they answer correctly, the faster they move ahead of others in a race to the finish.</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Super Sort</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQyj4Y7jDuyGdYqqSLXbsyNkoIjZEcEBQKkb6PLmyM75S7sZJE6hgODFKurfSO8uA9iBmtkQ6OEBqO4jaR52T-kX5xgtlJP0aDOzBp2wOE359Cil7e41C9u7Ff7b2vb41dsHRNudsKSMvm/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-19+at+8.41.38+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQyj4Y7jDuyGdYqqSLXbsyNkoIjZEcEBQKkb6PLmyM75S7sZJE6hgODFKurfSO8uA9iBmtkQ6OEBqO4jaR52T-kX5xgtlJP0aDOzBp2wOE359Cil7e41C9u7Ff7b2vb41dsHRNudsKSMvm/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-19+at+8.41.38+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Match 'Em Up!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikcnJryuWS3UzrOtf3J26chWneQG427tzyqJQza1sb8VC3f_1BMeNpkLJPmaDfkSp6J1yld3O4hqO4rsNUzwQAGRqcMTLdNfo0zGSFe_srurYDw8UaWLWb3z3oGGELptNZ86X3MqmjRZlI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-19+at+8.42.02+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikcnJryuWS3UzrOtf3J26chWneQG427tzyqJQza1sb8VC3f_1BMeNpkLJPmaDfkSp6J1yld3O4hqO4rsNUzwQAGRqcMTLdNfo0zGSFe_srurYDw8UaWLWb3z3oGGELptNZ86X3MqmjRZlI/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-19+at+8.42.02+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Label Reveal</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMEXJoXALLweAsqcR-qpSR4z1kVEhKr0eI9Ri1VKQu8WmPTfuf7-C0C-yYn6EN_wn9GnFOzmi1wWOVxuQ6NmtuzYTINpnGv1OAYuae7AXckmj8hOTlg0XMDHRkeHfnyv6ILaESpsaANW0w/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-19+at+8.45.03+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMEXJoXALLweAsqcR-qpSR4z1kVEhKr0eI9Ri1VKQu8WmPTfuf7-C0C-yYn6EN_wn9GnFOzmi1wWOVxuQ6NmtuzYTINpnGv1OAYuae7AXckmj8hOTlg0XMDHRkeHfnyv6ILaESpsaANW0w/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-19+at+8.45.03+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Speedup </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXUC5b2TVz1o5owWYrSI-h7WvG4YASmTXjV8QyzaeFtFXqcTbAxL7JgjWvS7AeAxstlj1_FSvJgWn8-PjtJWhZ3r6t0n7FLcVDJEgpMlbLDDG-CEe0RpdpB-M2OBEiVJ5NBpEaYGJPNzgx/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-19+at+8.49.35+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXUC5b2TVz1o5owWYrSI-h7WvG4YASmTXjV8QyzaeFtFXqcTbAxL7JgjWvS7AeAxstlj1_FSvJgWn8-PjtJWhZ3r6t0n7FLcVDJEgpMlbLDDG-CEe0RpdpB-M2OBEiVJ5NBpEaYGJPNzgx/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-19+at+8.49.35+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
To add an activity, you will need to open the LAB by pressing the toolbar icon <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwQNZiH6h22zdD2aaoI3MlVhgPHpkLdlAk3rhaBJGle8uqj-m4ffcehsfQaTLkxJZTa8IN8usb2Y3yiiGBuMe0a9zka5NIxLDJcaiDW8-gWmo9UV3nNrmOUpC8-YZK3Rns2AlqxzRCOpK/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-19+at+9.08.35+AM.png"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwQNZiH6h22zdD2aaoI3MlVhgPHpkLdlAk3rhaBJGle8uqj-m4ffcehsfQaTLkxJZTa8IN8usb2Y3yiiGBuMe0a9zka5NIxLDJcaiDW8-gWmo9UV3nNrmOUpC8-YZK3Rns2AlqxzRCOpK/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-19+at+9.08.35+AM.png" /></a> in the Notebook toolbar. The Add an Activity window opens. The LAB will take you step by step; you will have a variety of activities and themes to choose from. So just choose what works best for you, add your content, and you're good to go! SMART will continue to add more themes and LAB activities in future product updates in SMART Notebook. Those of you who like the activities in the LAT, please know that SMART will be working to create new LAB activities based on those, so make sure to stay tuned. <br />
<br />
For those of you who are new to LAB, I would first recommend that you check out the approximately 500 LAB activities that are available on the <a href="http://exchange.smarttech.com/">SMART Exchange (SMEX)</a> by visiting <a href="http://exchange.smarttech.com/search.html?q=#type=LAB+Activities">http://exchange.smarttech.com/search.html?q=#type=LAB+Activities</a>. Why reinvent the wheel? For those of you who are not familiar with the SMEX online community, it's a repository for a variety of high-quality, peer-reviewed digital content you can use with your classroom technology. You’ll find thousands of resources including Common Core State Standards correlated lessons for SMART Notebook collaborative learning software, question sets for SMART Response interactive response systems, links and other multimedia content. You can search for and browse content quickly and easily by subject, grade, curriculum, media type and popularity, as well as filter results according to the SMART products you have in your classroom. </div>
<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;">
So have fun creating new LAB activities and games for your students. You will give them a new meaning to learning as you bring gamification along with its various benefits into your classroom. Your students will be sure to thank you!</div>
Rebecca Penina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15239592626939478818noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2420146181275947118.post-59775735356080126422016-01-21T14:42:00.001-05:002016-01-25T19:25:59.559-05:00So, What's New in News-O-Matic?<span style="font-family: inherit;">Let’s face it - in today’s day and age, information is merely at our fingertips. We live in what's known as the digital age or information age, and everything is so accessible. At the same time, there are so many families who are lacking books in their homes - specifically with informational text. Further, many families nowadays who do not take their children to places where they can build core background knowledge, such as museums or libraries on a regular basis. According to Neuman, Kaefer, and Pinkham, "There is a virtual consensus that background knowledge is essential for reading comprehension. Put simply, the more you know about a topic, the easier it is to read a text, understand it, and retain the information. Previous studies (Alexander, Kulikowich, & Schulze, 1994; Shapiro, 2004) have shown that background knowledge plays an enormous role in reading comprehension (Hirsch, 2003)."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As teachers, we owe it to our students to teach them current events in order to build their background knowledge. However, it is easier said than done. In order for our students to fully grasp the skills and content that they are learning, the content needs to be relevant to them, enabling them to build a connection with the material being taught. What better way to do this than by leveraging technology in the classroom, using an interactive, multi-sensory learning approach? Fortunately, News-O-Matic, an app developed by Press4Kids, can help us reach that goal.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">News-O-Matic, the daily newspaper for kids on iOS (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/news-o-matic-edu-nonfiction/id905215549?mt=8" target="_blank">https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/news-o-matic-edu-nonfiction/id905215549?mt=8</a>) Android (<a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.press4kids.newsomatic.schoolpro&hl=en" target="_blank">https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.press4kids.newsomatic.schoolpro&hl=en</a>), and any web enabled device (<a href="https://newsomatic.org/">https://newsomatic.org</a><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;">), </b>provides an interactive, engaging multi-sensory learning experience as children have the opportunity to learn about what is happening in the world around them. Multi-sensory learning involves the use of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic-tactile pathways simultaneously to enhance memory and learning of written languages, thereby strengthening comprehension skills. The app includes interactive, hands on activities that are comprised of many visual aids, audio files, and extension activities such as games, drawing, and even sending mail to News-O-Matic's Editor in Chief, Russ. In addition to current events, News-O-Matic has weekly special editorials such as "Real Jobs" and "What do you Think?" which motivates kids to think for themselves, form opinions and share it with the News-O-Matic community of readers. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Because each student learns differently, teachers can customize the articles each day according to each student's reading ability. Students are able use the content independently at their own pace and can interact with the content and extension activities. The students will have the same articles to read, yet they will be written according to their own Lexile level. Therefore, the students will not be able to discriminate between their articles and those of their peers. Every article is bilingual, Spanish/English, with a read to me in both languages, giving ELL students an opportunity for practice and better comprehension. By using News-O-Matic, the student have become engaged and intrinsically motivated to learn about the world around them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Second, the lessons are very content rich. In general, students have more difficulty comprehending informational texts. According to E.D. Hirsch, keynote speaker at the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) Conference in 2008, “In the USA, children are being denied of basic knowledge that allows them to participate in society.” Hirsch explains the importance of a rich content curriculum in the early grades, as specific relevant background knowledge is necessary for language comprehension. We need to teach general core knowledge for general comprehension of material. Rich content yields rich language. Not only does News-O-Matic provide the core background knowledge using rich content, but it also includes a formative assessment component on each day's featured articles. This includes skills such as: summarizing, comparing and contrasting, prediction, sequencing, and making inferences. A child psychologist vets every article to ensure appropriateness. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Each day at 6:30 pm EST, I receive an email from News-O-Matic that includes information about the articles for the following day, a teacher’s guide, and assessment questions on the articles for the students. In addition to the Teacher’s Guide email, there are multiple-choice assessment questions in every article, correlated to the Standards (for those who use it). Teachers can add open-ended custom questions targeted at individual students, groups or the entire class. The students are excited to read the featured articles and participate in the related extension activities whether it is at home or at school. Through their social media channels, News-O-Matic has a strong educator community who shares how they incorporate News-O-Matic in their classrooms. Every Tuesday News-O-Matic posts the "Tuesday Tips." News-O-Matic is being read in 148 countries, which enriches the ‘NewsRoom’ with voices from all over the world. I have never seen students so excited to read about current events. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here are some testimonials from elementary school students who are using News-O-Matic.</span><br />
<br />
“I think we've got some teachers who can't live without it:)”, J. Wilson, Technology Integrator, MN<br />
<br />
“We truly enjoyed reading your amazing news articles!”, D. Vonder-Hoya, 5th grade teacher, TX<br />
<br />
“We learned about News-O-Matic in December and it quickly became one of our students favorite ways to spend their time reading. Boys, girls, gifted and talented, special ed, readers, and non-readers all become motivated and engaged to read, and DAILY.”, N. Brucki and V. Ruane, 5th grade teacher, NJ<br />
<br />
“I use News-O-Matic all the time in class and my students absolutely LOVE it. I love that it is so kid friendly and a great way for some current events “, T. Schrader, 3rd grade teacher, CT<br />
<br />
“I can honestly say that News-O-Matic has been the best “new thing added to my room this year. The kids thoroughly enjoy the App, and love to share back ”, P. Schultz, 3rd grade teacher, CA<br />
<br />
“The combination of reading/listening introduces new oral and reading vocabulary.”, Yvonne Lovelock, Resource/Literacy<br />
<br />
“I use the highlight tool to reinforce main ideas and supporting details. Using one color for main idea and another provides quick formative assessment!”, Dina Linzer, ELL Teacher<br />
<br />
“The opinion articles inspire debates and interest to explore other resources in search of support for arguments.”, Renee Keeler, Elementary School Teacher<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So what news are you going to read about in News-O-Matic today?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYAFYxawMbpWe3EOj3rJbfQ9Lr5F-Tk_5ouO4ZDgIdw1bbCu1emB5m1oZDZ6p_hvBOJjRr2-RHqNLP_IID2tatrc1y269qnLUVjUnx7Sbs_F_ygNE093zjZ7ykInPXk6pwZgBXxTdVUHjL/s1600/IMG_0430.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYAFYxawMbpWe3EOj3rJbfQ9Lr5F-Tk_5ouO4ZDgIdw1bbCu1emB5m1oZDZ6p_hvBOJjRr2-RHqNLP_IID2tatrc1y269qnLUVjUnx7Sbs_F_ygNE093zjZ7ykInPXk6pwZgBXxTdVUHjL/s400/IMG_0430.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
Rebecca Penina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15239592626939478818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2420146181275947118.post-77197019500404694232016-01-13T15:38:00.002-05:002016-01-13T15:38:18.662-05:0011 Things You Never Knew You Could Do With Your SMART Board by Marlana Martinelli<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisvhjSSYztrVXWw2AhGD2Tw_WQTVnIu7Fck2AUQfLjJmvCY5jUl5oaEv1-q7qDZs-GqxSV-3kl60-KS4Fteyj_rQW2vtV82mM5Q1N-9vOJEhpRRXdHB9CxS_Ge1DEDwsXoiC63mQpWdXM-/s1600/teq-blog-blog-featured-image.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisvhjSSYztrVXWw2AhGD2Tw_WQTVnIu7Fck2AUQfLjJmvCY5jUl5oaEv1-q7qDZs-GqxSV-3kl60-KS4Fteyj_rQW2vtV82mM5Q1N-9vOJEhpRRXdHB9CxS_Ge1DEDwsXoiC63mQpWdXM-/s400/teq-blog-blog-featured-image.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: 'Ideal Sans SSm A', 'Ideal Sans SSm B', Arial; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 27px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 27px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Do you and your students tend to do the same thing on your interactive whiteboard over and over? Us too! That’s why we were excited to talk with Rebecca Penina Simon, an interactive-whiteboard expert who’s also the director of educational technology at Solomon Schechter School of Queens. Here are some of the cool ways she’s using <a href="http://www.teq.com/tequnlimited/?utm_source=WeAreTeachers&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=WAT_Teq" style="color: #3daaaa; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 600; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Teq Unlimited</a>, a resource that combines SMART’s software with some awesome online PD and that we want to try <em>right now</em>.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;">1. Take advantage of built-in activity templates to create some seriously cool lessons.</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;">Most interactive-whiteboard software comes with activity templates that make it easier to create activities and games. But a lot of teachers don’t use them! Check them out—they’re definitely worth another look. </span><a href="http://education.smarttech.com/en/products/notebook?utm_source=WeAreTeachers&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=WAT_Teq" style="background-color: white; color: #3daaaa; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 600; line-height: 27px; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">SMART’s</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;"> Lesson Activity Builder (LAB), features six core activity templates that can be customized in various ways. One of our favorites is Super Sort, which guides you through a series of questions to choose your theme (e.g., aliens), enter categories (e.g., nouns and adjectives), category components (e.g., beach, library, soft, green, etc.) and game components (e.g., buzzers, spinning wheel to randomly pick students, etc.). You can even import your student list, and then, voilà! You’ve got a super-fun, interactive and totally customized class activity! </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhggZrA7BRGVU8_ZWsgslYsfD0zgAQ3oyS6BOLzsVhbmiRi79s5m98K59Qq7n8VkOC3YgA-IpwitEdzydqvYsHd5LGvnaPJJsL4-L4lWJw-0fkMcXB5H_QLTIxG06zzDhBaLIhkxiGJXi2X/s1600/teq-game-screen-shot-2015-11-13-at-9-53-01-am-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhggZrA7BRGVU8_ZWsgslYsfD0zgAQ3oyS6BOLzsVhbmiRi79s5m98K59Qq7n8VkOC3YgA-IpwitEdzydqvYsHd5LGvnaPJJsL4-L4lWJw-0fkMcXB5H_QLTIxG06zzDhBaLIhkxiGJXi2X/s400/teq-game-screen-shot-2015-11-13-at-9-53-01-am-2.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;">2. Have students submit answers on their phones.</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;">It’s pretty much impossible to call on every student in class, but it’s still possible for all your kids to participate–even the shy ones. Use </span><a href="http://education.smarttech.com/en/products/notebook?utm_source=WeAreTeachers&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=WAT_Teq" style="background-color: white; color: #3daaaa; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 600; line-height: 27px; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">SMART Notebook’s</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;"> LAB to create a Shout It Out! activity that asks kids to submit photos or text answers for each of the categories you specify (e.g., mammals, reptiles, amphibians). With SMART Response, your kids can use their 1:1 devices (computers, tablets or smartphones) to submit their answers.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk3DWi4OyQwHVLKYVnVKvs-XzQ6bwPvbTk7KV1cOWSslj7DQsYSw6Bd5ZWSAeq-DRqPTmx_O6o2l-atzS6LbiKn0xjQxTvjdRlAQY6dE55aVTYyR4D8jurHS39GT_rUMoyufo9qdN_UWCR/s1600/teq-student-response-screen-shot-2015-11-13-at-10-12-56-am-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk3DWi4OyQwHVLKYVnVKvs-XzQ6bwPvbTk7KV1cOWSslj7DQsYSw6Bd5ZWSAeq-DRqPTmx_O6o2l-atzS6LbiKn0xjQxTvjdRlAQY6dE55aVTYyR4D8jurHS39GT_rUMoyufo9qdN_UWCR/s400/teq-student-response-screen-shot-2015-11-13-at-10-12-56-am-2.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;">3. Teach algebra and geometry with virtual manipulatives.</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;">If you think the only way to use an interactive whiteboard for math is to write out equations with a pen, this one is going to blow you away. You can handwrite equations or formulas, and </span><a href="http://education.smarttech.com/en/products/notebook?utm_source=WeAreTeachers&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=WAT_Teq" style="background-color: white; color: #3daaaa; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 600; line-height: 27px; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">SMART </a><a href="http://education.smarttech.com/en/products/notebook?utm_source=WeAreTeachers&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=WAT_Teq" style="background-color: white; color: #3daaaa; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 600; line-height: 27px; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Notebook</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;">’s Math Equation Editor will turn them into typed text! As if that’s not cool enough for all you math geeks, there’s more: You can use GeoGebra to take your written or typed algebraic equations and instantly create corresponding graphs. It's a powerful time-saver!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;">4. Add a smiley face to student board work.</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;">Kids love getting stickers and stamps on their worksheets, so why wouldn’t they love seeing them next to the work they do on a whiteboard? If you have SMART Ink, you can use the Stamp Pad feature to put a thumbs-up or a smiley face stamp next to a student’s correctly answered question on the board. If a student writes an incorrect answer on the board, you can stamp a sad face or an “X.” You can even add up to 20 of your own custom stamps.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8BTnpfaCV98qOV_9HuccaFWx8O92bhY04sgHaqPLifPBIaTtzn-jU4uhjG23E8sopCbTC8IVWzVv4TryfXafA_1TLX2-sMR8qosO0iyx0IzIBmmXdug9VHhQGOKjKmu_gDXRNDC5ifi_k/s1600/smart-ink-stamp-pad-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8BTnpfaCV98qOV_9HuccaFWx8O92bhY04sgHaqPLifPBIaTtzn-jU4uhjG23E8sopCbTC8IVWzVv4TryfXafA_1TLX2-sMR8qosO0iyx0IzIBmmXdug9VHhQGOKjKmu_gDXRNDC5ifi_k/s400/smart-ink-stamp-pad-2.png" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<div>
<strong style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></strong></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;">5. Hand out copies without having to use the dreaded copy machine.</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;">The copy machine can be a teacher’s worst nemesis! Thankfully, if you have </span><a href="http://education.smarttech.com/en/products/smart-amp?utm_source=WeAreTeachers&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=WAT_Teq" style="background-color: white; color: #3daaaa; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 600; line-height: 27px; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">SMART amp</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;">, you don’t have to wait in line at the copy machine (just to have it jam!) any longer. Instead, you can digitally pass out copies of a workspace to all your students. Bonus: It saves trees too!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;">6. Evenly divide shapes to teach fractions.</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;">We’ve all been there. You’re trying to teach fractions by showing your class how to divide a circle into equal parts, but the sections you’ve drawn are </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;">far</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;"> from equally divided (some poor kid’s going to get 1/16 of the pizza while another’s going to get 1/3!). With </span><a href="http://education.smarttech.com/en/products/notebook?utm_source=WeAreTeachers&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=WAT_Teq" style="background-color: white; color: #3daaaa; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 600; line-height: 27px; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">SMART Notebook</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;">, you can right-click on a shape, choose the number of segments and—like magic—the shape is evenly divided! If you want, you can then drag and drop individual sections anywhere on your workspace. You can even select whether or not the fraction labels (1/4, 1/8, etc.) are shown on each section.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABUe6ByBNE9HKRIQaiIRpAJnusVN0CkYCjCr9uyYp3JDYDIA2zJNQ9wePAAESntRxbRfo4E7ZwWMeorq66Ka7wiOqftyWlw9C4E-Eh0B1IN8WIdkYjj1jkXbkJjnerGDcUqBnb4CCquw9/s1600/teq-blog-shape-division-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABUe6ByBNE9HKRIQaiIRpAJnusVN0CkYCjCr9uyYp3JDYDIA2zJNQ9wePAAESntRxbRfo4E7ZwWMeorq66Ka7wiOqftyWlw9C4E-Eh0B1IN8WIdkYjj1jkXbkJjnerGDcUqBnb4CCquw9/s400/teq-blog-shape-division-2.png" width="356" /></span></a></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 27px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>7. Write on <em>anything</em>!</strong>Your SMART pens aren’t just for writing on a blank canvas. With SMART Ink, you can grab a pen and write on just about <em>anything</em>. Use the pens to write over text in a Word document or circle pictures on a website.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 27px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>8. Find out exactly who’s contributed what in group projects.</strong>When kids work offline, it can be challenging to know who <em>really</em> painted the diorama or worked on the poster. With <a href="http://education.smarttech.com/en/products/smart-amp?utm_source=WeAreTeachers&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=WAT_Teq" style="color: #3daaaa; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 600; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">SMART amp</a>, you can create a digital canvas that has sections designated for each group member. It’s kind of like Google Docs—but <em>way</em> cooler. All group members can contribute to the same workspace at the same time, but they don’t have to be doing the same thing—one kid can do word processing while another watches a YouTube video and still another creates a timeline! The best part? Teachers can take control of the workspace to review a concept or use the “attribution” feature in real time to see exactly which students are contributing to the project.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqt2Jx99VTePDXYvYSHbJRICnhvkmPQRe3BvQtKMicV61ufw11abKALcM5zEvHdiUAhU0Ynf2MuqZR4HKeX0Sst_eLJRP8jOPJ83_EfcA0eLCCV811Amg_KzrwOpcauQ9Ki8xj4oZDWREv/s1600/teqcombined--2-2+%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqt2Jx99VTePDXYvYSHbJRICnhvkmPQRe3BvQtKMicV61ufw11abKALcM5zEvHdiUAhU0Ynf2MuqZR4HKeX0Sst_eLJRP8jOPJ83_EfcA0eLCCV811Amg_KzrwOpcauQ9Ki8xj4oZDWREv/s400/teqcombined--2-2+%25281%2529.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 27px; padding: 0px;">
<strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">9. Figure out which students “get” it. </span></strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 27px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">With SMART Response, you can choose to keep students’ answers anonymous or include their names to make it easy to keep track of which students grasped the concept. If you need to check off the Common Core box, there’s even a way to tag standards to questions and export the data to any system your school uses. Plus you can use the time you would have spent grading quizzes to plan follow-up lessons that help them practice the skills they find most challenging.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 27px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>10. Knock off some PD requirements.</strong>If this list got you excited about all the cool stuff you can do with your whiteboard and left you inspired to learn more, you’re in luck. SMART offers lots of professional development options to help you keep up with all the newest features and how you can actually use them in your classroom. <a href="http://onlinepd.teq.com/?utm_source=WeAreTeachers&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=WAT_Teq" style="color: #3daaaa; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 600; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Teq Online PD</a> has multiple one-hour live broadcasts each week where you have the opportunity to ask questions and chat with the instructor in real time. Or you can access more than 150 archived sessions on-demand whenever you have time. Either way, you can knock off some of your PD requirements for the year.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 27px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>11. When you get stuck, connect with your own personal tech tutor.</strong>How many times have you taken a technology PD session only to forget what you learned when it came time to actually use it in your classroom? You might know you can create a graph out of an algebraic equation you wrote on the board but can’t seem to recall exactly how to access it. With the Teq PD Instructional Support Now button, you can connect with a PD specialist who’s an expert in instructional technology the moment you get stuck—or you can schedule a future time that’s convenient for you.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #323232; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 27px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><em>To try out all these ideas in your classroom, check out <a href="http://www.teq.com/tequnlimited/?utm_source=WeAreTeachers&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=WAT_Teq" style="color: #3daaaa; cursor: pointer; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Teq Unlimited</a>, a software package that </em></strong><strong><em>combines SMART’s software—Notebook, Response, Lesson Activity Builder and amp—with awesome online professional development.</em></strong></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 27px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="color: #323232; line-height: 27px;">This blog was crossposted from </i><span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 27px;"><span style="color: #323232;"><i><a href="http://www.weareteachers.com/blogs/post/2016/01/05/11-things-you-never-knew-you-could-do-with-your-smart-board">http://www.weareteachers.com/blogs/post/2016/01/05/11-things-you-never-knew-you-could-do-with-your-smart-board</a></i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 27px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: 'Ideal Sans SSm A', 'Ideal Sans SSm B', Arial; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 27px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: 'Ideal Sans SSm A', 'Ideal Sans SSm B', Arial; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: 'Ideal Sans SSm A', 'Ideal Sans SSm B', Arial; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px;"><br /></span></div>
Rebecca Penina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15239592626939478818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2420146181275947118.post-52086459071934343262015-11-29T16:04:00.002-05:002016-01-13T15:13:05.220-05:00Thankful Thoughts: The Gift of Professional Learning and Growth<div class="challenge-details" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: content-box; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; line-height: 19.2px; margin-top: 20px;">
<div class="new-activity hide" style="box-sizing: content-box; margin: 0px -50px; padding: 1.5em 50px;">
<div class="activity-form" style="box-sizing: content-box;">
<div class="current_stage questions" style="box-sizing: content-box; zoom: 1;">
<form accept-charset="UTF-8" action="http://goldstarsee.smarttech.com/activities" class="simple_form pt-form activity new_activity" data-remote="true" data-type="json" enctype="multipart/form-data" id="new_activity" method="post" novalidate="novalidate" style="box-sizing: content-box; overflow: visible; padding-bottom: 1.5em; position: relative;">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was fortunate this Thanksgiving Holiday to spend time by my parents; I am ever indebted to them for all that they have done for me and continue to do. Of course, there are many other things that I am thankful for in my life. One of them is having the gratitude for my ability and openness to learn and grow as an educator.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-24947808-5507-d2f3-a2cf-562be7f544c8" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Being a reflective practitioner is easier said than done. It requires constant meta-cognition as I need to realize what I have accomplished thus far as an educator, what I want to accomplish, and how I will get to that point. Education is dynamic as it is constantly evolving. Our jobs as educators are to continue to learn and change in order to meet the needs of our students. Many educators realize this and recognize the value of professional learning. Other educators are unfortunately stuck in the 1980’s. Why should I change? It’s our students that need to change! Entering a classroom with that belief is completely futile. Neither the educator nor the students will benefit from such a situation. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I could not have reached the point where I am today without the guidance and support of many of my colleagues. Challenging my thoughts and beliefs about what education is and what it should be has definitely opened my mind and has left me with the desire to continue to learn and grow. Inspiring me to become vulnerable, stepping outside of my comfort zone and to take risks as I try new things, has tested my self-esteem as well as my patience. Whether I fail or succeed, what I have learned during the process is more important than the actual outcome itself. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have learned so much from participating in PLNs (Professional Learning Networks) and PLCs (Professional Learning Communities) over the past several years. Being able to communicate and collaborate with each other - whether face to face or virtually, has enabled us to tackle important issues in education at hand as a group and learn from each other at the same time. We might have different opinions, and that’s fine. When we disagree with each other, we do so with respect. Whether this has taken place on Twitter, Google+, Moodle, or another form of social media, I cannot underestimate how much I have gained professionally by learning in these groups.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another driving force of my professional learning and growth during the past several years has been SMART Technologies. Yep, as hard as it is to believe, an educational hardware and software company has definitely pushed me towards greater heights in my professional learning. As a SMART Exemplary Educator, I don’t view SMART as merely a company that is trying to sell hardware and software. Rather, I view SMART as a company that wants to support teachers in making a positive difference in their students’ education. Teachers extend their students’ learning as they empower their students to become natural, authentic learners, discovering more about their world each day. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Last but most definitely not least, I am thrilled to be participating in a school leadership during the course of this school year. I have never viewed myself as a leader before. Because of my experience in integrating technology in education, I have been fortunate to be able to coach other educators in this area as well, making a positive difference in their instruction and in their students’ learning. This has definitely boosted my level of self-confidence as I learn how much of a positive impact Educational Technology can make in students’ learning when it is integrated properly in classroom instruction. Aside from learning how to be a school leader and coach in the area of Educational Technology, I have been fortunate to learn with experts in the field of education about many other important educational topics, including but not limited to: </span></div>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Type and Temperament for Leadership</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Time Management</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Supervision and Evaluation </span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Instructional Vision</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Curriculum Goals and Outcomes</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Student Support</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Alternative Models of Education</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Change Management</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leading From Within</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For someone who never dreamed of working in the field of education - and even more so, in the area of school leadership, I must say that overall it has been a bumpy yet enjoyable ride. I have been fortunate to teach in a variety of school settings, each with its own culture and morals. Though I do not know where my educational journey will take me next, I am sure that it will be somewhere that I can continue to learn and grow professionally. And I am grateful for that.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="details" style="box-sizing: content-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, arial, sans-serif; zoom: 1;">
<ul class="questions" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; zoom: 1;">
<li class="question url" id="question_4899" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</form>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Rebecca Penina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15239592626939478818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2420146181275947118.post-37013072544844789072015-11-12T06:44:00.001-05:002015-11-12T09:38:58.575-05:00Do YOU Know Where Your Students Are Online? The Importance of Teaching
Digital CitizenshipYou've got some downtime for some of your students since they finished their work early. Rather than giving them a book to read or another activity to complete, you give them permission to "play" on a computer or another mobile device in your classroom. <br>
<br>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
Before you allow your students to use the technology, it would be a good idea to think about the following questions.</div>
</div>
<br>
<ul>
<li>Do you know what website your students are using? </li>
<li>Do you know what your students are doing online? </li>
<li>Do you have a proper filter installed? </li>
<li>Is social media allowed or blocked? </li>
<li>Do your students have the ability to communicate with others online?</li>
<li>Do you have Google SafeSearch or another safe search engine enabled? </li>
<li>Are there inappropriate ads on the websites that your students are using? </li>
<li>Last but not least, is there someone in your school who can guide you in taking the proper steps to ensure that your students are using their devices appropriately?</li>
</ul>
<br>
If you answered "no" to one or more of the questions above, it would be a very good idea for you to learn about Digital Citizenship, why it's important, and how you can provide your students a safe and responsible use of technology.<br>
<br>
So, what IS Digital Citizenship? Digital Citizenship is the understanding of human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and the advocating and practicing of safe, responsible and ethical use of digital information and technology. (ISTE, 2007)<br>
<br>
As educators, teaching our students social skills is not enough anymore. In the 21st century, we need to teach them how to embrace the online world responsibly too. Our students are not only communicating and collaborating with others face to face, but they are doing so with others whom they encounter in the digital world. Digital Citizenship reflects the world that our students live in and we want to be able to understand the lives that they lead. In addition, teaching these skills to our students allows us to address things and to be proactive as opposed to reactive. Students have so much more engagement now with the digital world, and as they are doing that, sometimes they don't make the right choices. Students sometimes don't really know what they are doing or the effect of how they are communicating with others. We want to make sure that our students know how to use technology wisely and safely.<br>
<br>
<br>
So HOW, do we teach them Digital Citizenship? We do this in the following three ways.<br>
1) We DISCUSS the concepts and importance of Digital Citizenship with them.<br>
2) We MODEL proper use of digital tools - even to our youngest learners.<br>
3) We PROVIDE our students with the necessary tools and experience so they receive practice in performing good Digital Citizenship skills.<br>
<br>
I have spent the past few years teaching Digital Citizenship to students in elementary grades. When I first started, I absolutely had no idea where to begin. I was fortunate to learn about Common Sense Media's <a href="https://www.digitalpassport.org/educator-registration" target="_blank">Digital Passport</a> Digital Citizenship curriculum. The program includes many educator materials, resources, interactive games for students, and it's FREE. This past year, Common Sense Media released a Digital Citizenship curriculum for students in middle school entitled <a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/digital-compass" target="_blank">Digital Compass</a>. I'd highly recommend you checking out these resources if you have not done so already.<br>
<br>
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNtO8jwLpBEhTzg8fb9w8IWD6WVDgUKzke3KYxQwvcyiQUeXY0C9ddMpoSKWeutNLmfNW7xuXkTupGo34HzvOSX6zHR9PYhZ9CO99wTiOhRZw3pUZXIMq1O5hnjuE-dkLwoAzndDVJagy/s1600/Digital-Passport-landingPage_Hero.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNtO8jwLpBEhTzg8fb9w8IWD6WVDgUKzke3KYxQwvcyiQUeXY0C9ddMpoSKWeutNLmfNW7xuXkTupGo34HzvOSX6zHR9PYhZ9CO99wTiOhRZw3pUZXIMq1O5hnjuE-dkLwoAzndDVJagy/s320/Digital-Passport-landingPage_Hero.png" width="320"></a></div>
<br>
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAn3tmyehe3qu3P7rdWCFGiRz1dde8tTXkQhOq3aXN-60z_rtFD-XoqL8okFdYH9l0-8sYB-FOmEIgJTKVLKspYPQ0lg0tDWuFPDiCeEtabqycdKVYeOBYLy4XxRICECuzgJJkrJ_g07Oj/s1600/dc-copy2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAn3tmyehe3qu3P7rdWCFGiRz1dde8tTXkQhOq3aXN-60z_rtFD-XoqL8okFdYH9l0-8sYB-FOmEIgJTKVLKspYPQ0lg0tDWuFPDiCeEtabqycdKVYeOBYLy4XxRICECuzgJJkrJ_g07Oj/s400/dc-copy2.jpg" width="400"></a></div>
<br>
The information below serves as a guide to teaching students about Digital Citizenship and its importance. This was developed by Mary Beth Hertz (<a href="https://twitter.com/mbteach" target="_blank">@mbteach</a>). You can find the original document at <a href="http://mbteach.com/phillyteacher/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/K-8-Technology-Scope.pdf">http://mbteach.com/phillyteacher/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/K-8-Technology-Scope.pdf</a>. I have found this resource very useful in teaching students various Technology Skills.<br>
<br>
<br>
<div class="p1">
<b><br></b></div>
<div class="p1">
<b> K-8 Technology Curriculum Scope: Digital Citizenship</b></div>
<ul>
<li><b>Kindergarten:</b> What information is safe/not safe to share online?</li>
<li><b>First Grade: </b>What information is safe/not safe to share online? How do people use online tools safely to communicate?</li>
<li><b>Second Grade:</b> How do people use technology communicate responsibly?</li>
<li><b>Third Grade:</b> How do people use online information responsibly?</li>
<li><b>Fourth Grade:</b> How do people use online information responsibly and respectfully?</li>
<li><b>Fifth Grade: </b>How do people use technology responsibly?</li>
<li><b>Sixth Grade:</b> How do people use technology responsibly for research and communication?</li>
<li><b>Seventh Grade:</b> How do people use technology responsibly for research, communication and collaboration?</li>
<li><b>Eighth Grade:</b> How do people use technology responsibly for research, communication and collaboration?</li>
</ul>
<div class="p1">
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mtZ7qJkhttlurhxMX0LxPNsSI1YMx_QAvNo7tVBOhEvzDpkaCGZlERKLfbbyZ9qqhNDP_TTBuBmqI4QNCdRjOfK4gJXyGcEzuE_bQjjNyibCcvmxUvurog-lj8uuvGe6HH8Cu-R2C1fn/s1600/I+am+a+Digital+Citizen.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mtZ7qJkhttlurhxMX0LxPNsSI1YMx_QAvNo7tVBOhEvzDpkaCGZlERKLfbbyZ9qqhNDP_TTBuBmqI4QNCdRjOfK4gJXyGcEzuE_bQjjNyibCcvmxUvurog-lj8uuvGe6HH8Cu-R2C1fn/s400/I+am+a+Digital+Citizen.png" width="400"></a></div>
<br>
<br>
Here are some great resources for teaching Digital Citizenship:<br>
<a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/curriculum" target="_blank">Common Sense Media</a><br>
<a href="http://www.netsmartz.org/Educators" target="_blank">NetSmartz</a><br>
<a href="https://www.brainpop.com/spotlight/digitalcitizenship/" target="_blank">Brainpop</a><br>
<a href="http://www.teachinctrl.org/" target="_blank">InCtrl</a><br>
<a href="http://www.edutopia.org/blog/digital-citizenship-need-to-know-vicki-davis" target="_blank">What Your Students Really Need to Know About Digital Citizenship</a>, by Vicki Davis<br>
<a href="http://www.edutopia.org/article/digital-citizenship-resources" target="_blank">Edutopia</a> lists many resources on its website too. <br>
<br>
<br></div>
Rebecca Penina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15239592626939478818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2420146181275947118.post-36871719789147746562015-09-04T00:25:00.003-04:002015-09-04T11:15:29.705-04:00How To Get Students Started With SMART ampIn my role as an Educational Technology Coach, I am always searching for high quality digital tools and apps that will not only assist in engaging and enhancing student learning, but will also assist in extending it; enabling students to accomplish tasks they could not do beforehand. Too many apps have been designed like worksheets; they are pure drill or reinforcement of the content and/or skills that have been taught. The problem with this is that although they show what students are able to "spit back" or recite, it doesn't necessarily show what they have learned, and it most definitely does not allow students to express their creativity by giving them the chance to take the content they have learned to create something new. <br />
<br />
We know that learning should be visible; it's important that teachers have evidence that their students are learning. This evidence is not limited to the students' marks on a paper. Teachers need to understand, document, and support individual and group learning in their classrooms. Evidence of student learning can - and should - include:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>the ways the learning affects the students' social and emotional growth</li>
<li>the purpose the learning serves (what does the student gain from this and how/why it is relevant)</li>
<li>how it empowers the student </li>
</ul>
This is the learning that will help in preparing students to become responsible members of society.<br />
<br />
If we want our students to become empowered in their own learning, then we need to provide them with learning opportunities through which they can do so. This may include opportunities in which students will exhibit: <br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>collaboration</li>
<li>communication</li>
<li>critical thinking</li>
<li>creativity</li>
</ul>
<div>
Are you looking for ways to spark your students' creativity? Have you tried using SMART amp? I am proud to say that using SMART amp can empower our students in their learning as it encourages them to collaborate, communicate, think critically, and create. By being provided with a SMART amp workspace in which which they may express their own ideas, the students are not limited and the possibilities are endless as they think "outside the box."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here are some tips in getting students engaged in the SMART amp workspace:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Explain what a workspace is and how it is different from a SMART NB presentation file</li>
<li>Model the use of a workspace to create something new </li>
<li>Allow the students to explore the various tools in the SMART amp workspace and create content on a given topic</li>
<li>Have students work with their peers in small groups to foster collaboration</li>
<li>Encourage students to present their content to the class</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
Based on my previous experience in grades K-8, when using SMART amp appropriately, the results of student learning will be fantastic. It is an amazing accomplishment when students learn naturally and authentically which empowers them to learn about their world.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />Rebecca Penina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15239592626939478818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2420146181275947118.post-22932762562863158202015-08-07T10:58:00.002-04:002015-08-07T11:04:30.723-04:00Success in Education: Marc Prensky and the Future<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://edblog.smarttech.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/DSC_1946-2-res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://edblog.smarttech.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/DSC_1946-2-res.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
On July 19, the first evening of the 2015 SMART Global SEE (SMART Exemplary Educators) Summit, SMART Technologies offered the participants a real treat. We were privileged to hear from the one and only Marc Prensky who spoke about what success in education means in a new, emerging context. Those of you who attended ISTE 2012 in San Diego remember him as a keynote speaker along with Sir Ken Robinson and Mayim Bialik.<br />
Prensky's topic was "Expanding Minds for the Third Millennium: The Future of Education and Teaching."<br />
<br />
In this keynote session, Prensky discussed some important ideas and new perspectives about success in education connected to the future of our kids, the future of technology, and the future of education. This is all part of a new paradigm with a new goal, a new pedagogy, and a new curriculum.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://edblog.smarttech.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/see-summit-2015-day-1-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://edblog.smarttech.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/see-summit-2015-day-1-7.jpg" height="263" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
<b>Prensky states, "I try hard to see the world – and education – from the perspective of young people!"</b><br />
<br />
We all know that our students will do better if we are preparing them for the future, but how many of us are actually doing that? Unfortunately, not many, because this curriculum does not yet exist. Will it come from technology? We know that technology amplifies human desires; but the solutions lie within people – their hearts, minds, and will – technology alone cannot prepare our students for the future.<br />
<br />
Prensky explained that we live in a new and changing context - a world moving at an accelerated pace with a population rising dramatically. This combined with quickly evolving new attitudes towards many important things is leading to rising levels of anxiety. Technology can help us keep up with our ever changing world. But to be successful, we must prepare our students to become globally empowered by connecting them with real world problems and real world solutions. Kids today have extended brains connected by a worldwide Internet - and they know it. Technology does not do the job; rather, it merely amplifies what people are doing and their human desires.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://edblog.smarttech.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/see-summit-2015-day-1-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://edblog.smarttech.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/see-summit-2015-day-1-3.jpg" height="263" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br />
<b>"If I lost my mobile phone, I lose half my brain," said a high school student.</b><br />
<br />
<br />
Think of today's kids as extended brains, all networked together. If we are treating them what they were 50 years ago, then we're not treating them what they are.<br />
<br />
<br />
Prensky explained, "Kids are adapting to the future much faster than many of us. Kids grew up in one culture – a digital culture so they are all digital natives, where adults grew up in a different culture and are immigrating to another culture."<br />
<br />
"The new technologies – potentially – enable our kids to do new and powerful things in the world, and do them, earlier, faster, and in far greater quantity."<br />
<br />
We will have globally empowered kids if we do our job right. Our kids need, with our help, to develop the "heart, mind, and will" to use technology wisely, to accomplish positive things. Technology should be used for things we couldn't do beforehand – not for trivial things.<br />
<br />
We don't know how to educate anymore – a new context requires a new education. We are currently on the cusp between two educational paradigms: one old, one new, and the merging. The old paradigm is "Education as Learning." The new emerging paradigm is "Education as Becoming."<br />
<br />
We need to ensure our kids become good, capable, and world-improving people. The best means of becoming is real-world accomplishment.<br />
<br />
<b>"Nothing builds self-esteem and self-confidence like accomplishment," said Thomas Carlyle.</b><br />
<br />
Education is not about the grades they get today, but a resume of real-world accomplishments. Our current curriculum provides an education useful for the context of the last couple of centuries – but not the 21st century. Success in education means teaching our students effective thinking, action, relationships, and real-world accomplishment. That's what will improve the world as we prepare our students for the future.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
</div>
</div>
Rebecca Penina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15239592626939478818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2420146181275947118.post-73401903549700199752015-07-22T17:13:00.004-04:002015-07-22T17:13:37.494-04:00Learning to Program with KodableOf the six strands in a Technology Skills Curriculum (Online Safety/Digital Citizenship; Programming; Digital Storytelling; Office Tools; Research; Basic Technology Concepts and Operations), the strand of Programming can easily be the most difficult to teach - especially to younger children. When people learn that my profession involves working with computers, they automatically assume that I have a background in programming. To their dismay, programming would be the last field that I would choose as a focus. I once took a computer science course in college and most of the focus was on programming. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy the course as I found the specifics of programming and coding to be so abstract that I just could not relate to it. <br />
<br />
It's so important that when teaching students skills such as computer programming, that it's done in a concrete manner. They need to learn the content and skills in a way that is engaging as well as relevant to their own lives. As much as we think that the technology skills are important to learn, we need to remember that the technology is a tool and it's all about the education and skills that students will gain from learning the those skills.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://a5.mzstatic.com/eu/r30/Purple/v4/cc/50/16/cc501681-71be-ed4a-6d5c-c65417f92b19/screen480x480.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://a5.mzstatic.com/eu/r30/Purple/v4/cc/50/16/cc501681-71be-ed4a-6d5c-c65417f92b19/screen480x480.jpeg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Towards the end of the school year, the first grade students at my school were fortunate to have a visit from Neal Rooney and Gretchen Huebner, the developers of the educational curriculum <a href="https://www.kodable.com/" target="_blank">Kodable</a>. Kodable is an award winning game that is designed to teach the basics of computer coding to children ages five and up. Kodable is available in both the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kodable/id577673067?mt=8" target="_blank">iTunes App Store</a> for iOS devices and the <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.surfscore.kodable.main.android" target="_blank">Google Play Store</a> for Android devices. It works on any web enabled device. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/2taax7MY7mT8ps9-BKbV_0mCNbrcquF2hvAYyDbrxqQ=w839-h626-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/2taax7MY7mT8ps9-BKbV_0mCNbrcquF2hvAYyDbrxqQ=w839-h626-no" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
In addition, Kodable is aligned to the Common Core and has an accompanying curriculum through which students learn the fundamentals of every modern programming language in a fun and inviting way. This includes but is not limited to the following skills and concepts:<br />
<ul>
<li>Sequence/ Order of operations</li>
<li>Algorithmic operations</li>
<li>Conditional logic statements</li>
<li>Problem solving skills </li>
<li>Higher level thinking skills </li>
<li>Collaboration skills</li>
<li>Communication skills</li>
<li>Critical thinking skills</li>
<li>Common Core Standards</li>
<li>CSTA Standards</li>
<li>English Computing Targets and Programs of Study</li>
</ul>
As mentioned above, many of the skills above are more abstract rather than concrete. Second, some of the skills cannot be taught; rather they must be modeled or learned through experiences that are provided to the children.<br />
<br />
With that in mind, Neal and Gretchen first provided the children with activities to help them understand the background of computer programming. They taught them that computer programmers use combining languages to program computers. The language of code is made of numbers and is known as Binary Coding. Although the children were familiar with the word "program," they did not understand what the word meant. In order to make the learning concrete, engaging, and relevant to the children's lives, the developers selected one of the students to act as a robot which the students in the class would program without the use of technology. Programming the "robot" was easier said than done. Not only did the students have to be well versed in their directions, but they also had to apply their knowledge when they programmed the "robot" to move in different directions and angles not necessarily at the same direction where the students were facing.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/t66XDQVZSuwKbFyYv_MiaVkoVPhtaSz2x_83UJIGAfA=w839-h626-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/t66XDQVZSuwKbFyYv_MiaVkoVPhtaSz2x_83UJIGAfA=w839-h626-no" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
After the class participated in this activity, it was time for them to apply these skills by doing some programming on their own using the Kodable game. The objective is for the students to program the furry alien Fuzz to reach the end of each maze. Aside from being child friendly, the game is engaging, attractive, and very easy to follow. This is great way to teach students how to follow directions as it must be completed within a specific sequence. Those students who have difficulty with following directions will have a bit more difficulty with the game. This is a perfect way to teach them how to read the step by step directions and take their time in order that they will be able to succeed at the game.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/DsffHeqRsklwFgWoN0X94C4U11mWDj3BCkRCbMkEZMU=w839-h626-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/DsffHeqRsklwFgWoN0X94C4U11mWDj3BCkRCbMkEZMU=w839-h626-no" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
We were so fortunate to have the Kodable app developers visit our school. The students were able to connect with them and learn more about computer programming and why it is important to learn how to do it. The students love using the Kodable game and I look forward to using it with more students at my school next year. Grechen and Neal, thanks for visiting us. You definitely impressed our students and instilled a love of computer science within them!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Rebecca Penina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15239592626939478818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2420146181275947118.post-18299723393957761132015-05-11T10:51:00.000-04:002015-05-11T10:51:43.336-04:00First Graders Can Conduct Research Too!When I was in first grade and had computer class, we spent time playing games on our Apple II-E computers; games such as Space Invaders, Monopoly, and my favorite, <a href="http://www.dosgamesarchive.com/download/mickeys-space-adventure/" target="_blank">Mickey's Space Adventure</a>. Of course, our sessions were fun, but there was no carryover to what we were learning in our other classes. Fortunately, times have changed. Instead of students visiting the computer room, devices are used in their own classrooms so technology skills can be integrated in their learning to redefine instruction. One of the strands that is taught is research. Ordinarily, I think of research being taught in middle school. However, this past year, I had the pleasure of working with the first grade teachers and students in my school to learn how to conduct research on a specific topic.<br />
<br />
In a first grade classroom, the skills that are important to teach students include:<br />
<ul>
<li>What is research?</li>
<li>Why do people research?</li>
<li>Using a website to learn about a topic.</li>
<li>Finding information about a topic on a website.</li>
<li>Communicating findings orally or in writing.</li>
</ul>
<div>
As I mentioned above, never in a million years would I expect first graders to know how to research topic using books or the Internet. One class is researching the seven continents and the other two classes are researching animals. At first, I had no idea how to help these teachers and students conduct research and report their findings. The teachers grouped the students and each member of the group will be researching a subtopic of the main topic. In order to be successful at this endeavor, I needed to accomplish the following tasks:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Find a tool that would enable the groups to collaborate and communicate with each other, as well as work independently</li>
<li>Find a tool that is child friendly and safe online</li>
<li>Find a tool that is cloud based so that students can use on any device and therefore they are not limited to using the same device each session</li>
<li>Find a tool that can incorporate child friendly websites for conducting research.</li>
</ul>
<div>
After conducting much research myself, I decided to use <a href="https://www.smartamp.com/" target="_blank">SMART amp</a>. <span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://smarttech.com/About+SMART/About+SMART/Newsroom/Awards" style="color: black; font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Winner of recent awards</a><span style="color: blue;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">including 2015 Bett Awards, 2014 eSchool News Top Education Products, and a finalist for the 2015 SIIA Education CODIE Awards, SMART amp was designed with the purpose to be used on any device, anywhere, at any time. I am fortunate to be a <a href="http://www.sssq.org/ftpimages/550/misc/misc_126640.pdf" target="_blank">SMART amp Champ</a> and therefore I received advanced training from SMART Technologies enabling me to mentor other teachers in using this software with their students. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Now that I knew what tool we would use to conduct the research project, it was time to train both the teachers and their students in using SMART amp so they would be comfortable in using the software independently. Instead of the students visiting the computer lab, I bring devices - either Chromebooks or iPads into the classrooms. This way, the students are using the devices as a part of their learning experience in their own classroom setting. With all tools, practice makes perfect, so it did take some time for everyone to learn how to use the software. Once the students learned how to use the software, they were very comfortable using it and enjoyed using it to learn. In addition, I teach the students while the teachers are in the classroom. This way, I can collaborate with the classroom teachers while modeling it for the students. Our students need to learn how to collaborate with each other and the best ways to teach them are by modeling the skills as well as providing them with opportunities through which they can do so.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUETAslqcOrfqB8DyUFHGQpvm-JIuTxI-dXlBbkjquFES3e3WMzAmqKYyK1l-pKJUbGLpHu2vrOKObVsRsS6shdS-gI_6l_jSSHEORGb9hV1pqHvHOViQyzA3dutpYWt4Cb93Qgr5sAvX4/s1600/IMG_0437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUETAslqcOrfqB8DyUFHGQpvm-JIuTxI-dXlBbkjquFES3e3WMzAmqKYyK1l-pKJUbGLpHu2vrOKObVsRsS6shdS-gI_6l_jSSHEORGb9hV1pqHvHOViQyzA3dutpYWt4Cb93Qgr5sAvX4/s320/IMG_0437.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Now that the students are broken up into their respective groups, it's time for them to conduct their research. Each group will be responsible for conducting research and communicating their data on a continent or an animal. Within each group, each member will be responsible for specific subtopics of their continent or animal. For instance, if a group is researching the Continent of North America, each member in the group will be responsible for researching specific attributes about North America. The students will use a combination of books and a child friendly research website, <a href="http://ducksters.com/" target="_blank">Ducksters</a> to research their information. Since SMART amp enables web content to be integrated and embedded within the workspace, the students do not need to browse the web externally. They will report their findings within their very own SMART amp workspace. They will collaborate with each other on their findings. At the end of the research project, they will present their findings and what they have learned to the class. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Below are examples of what the students will be researching for the topic of continents. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2XZgMmWOb6ARYmrJdcdd4piAFU-HOzdHaxWcLqpT2ZJg76sk5LzyUHEg285E7EHiJqJAQUa5SqvlO4zhGBQGQj_c4AcQZfu-TAj7d2o58QKniN3mLJB6e308C_0FTdrVVsR90_CX0GA7z/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-05-07+at+11.37.48+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2XZgMmWOb6ARYmrJdcdd4piAFU-HOzdHaxWcLqpT2ZJg76sk5LzyUHEg285E7EHiJqJAQUa5SqvlO4zhGBQGQj_c4AcQZfu-TAj7d2o58QKniN3mLJB6e308C_0FTdrVVsR90_CX0GA7z/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-05-07+at+11.37.48+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWdeaESLuAU1yoYOoofXREHUQCyE0sjDPPYkbhR7Pj6SZ0oEOfuHelY6ngS3IEDPBN7VVTrmis8ZUg1z4o-nKnQMvdT91reMWvncw8VFo8uLid4DnWIM1VH8j3b8rRIflqfGS3kGCrRTo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-05-07+at+11.38.03+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWdeaESLuAU1yoYOoofXREHUQCyE0sjDPPYkbhR7Pj6SZ0oEOfuHelY6ngS3IEDPBN7VVTrmis8ZUg1z4o-nKnQMvdT91reMWvncw8VFo8uLid4DnWIM1VH8j3b8rRIflqfGS3kGCrRTo/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-05-07+at+11.38.03+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIaZivVldWFHQ362B3bl6VQjzxAGVE9vLJ09kc7gLn_alaNIsSEbDlZ-ZAdX5VCr91lSE_CnCnEew5UY7uD43vplS0bi0kHoL_w1slezdJ_-hHux3rE6hhWNkqGBRa_PhYAaxs0YASBYLM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-05-07+at+11.38.14+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIaZivVldWFHQ362B3bl6VQjzxAGVE9vLJ09kc7gLn_alaNIsSEbDlZ-ZAdX5VCr91lSE_CnCnEew5UY7uD43vplS0bi0kHoL_w1slezdJ_-hHux3rE6hhWNkqGBRa_PhYAaxs0YASBYLM/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-05-07+at+11.38.14+AM.png" width="201" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJeqGen3cxUMNe0Zlng9M4_WDNMAFL01kJ6I9AHte9qJM22yxnKxS94QZ9Iod-oyZhMCqQoVKRImzlyJ8SIMs0_uspXXN8CzY_yIDIGQQeUCvruySRVSDfE0bzDu3tEt1yLyOoiVpsK7Ky/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-05-07+at+11.38.23+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJeqGen3cxUMNe0Zlng9M4_WDNMAFL01kJ6I9AHte9qJM22yxnKxS94QZ9Iod-oyZhMCqQoVKRImzlyJ8SIMs0_uspXXN8CzY_yIDIGQQeUCvruySRVSDfE0bzDu3tEt1yLyOoiVpsK7Ky/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-05-07+at+11.38.23+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJrAUUrUzHnsmNQEiCC6mlNpL78TyDpI-kyt-ux8snWB9bPRcNlQkr8pTwSePJN60vrvNLkxsPKV9aGavpDW8yUljp4PhxFJanVRZOLlQMQC3kUx_6iQb9krV0HqSpDvAGkz20xAEFafl/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-05-07+at+11.38.31+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJrAUUrUzHnsmNQEiCC6mlNpL78TyDpI-kyt-ux8snWB9bPRcNlQkr8pTwSePJN60vrvNLkxsPKV9aGavpDW8yUljp4PhxFJanVRZOLlQMQC3kUx_6iQb9krV0HqSpDvAGkz20xAEFafl/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-05-07+at+11.38.31+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I am so amazed by what the first grade teachers and students are doing. Through collaborating, communicating, creating, and thinking critically, we are preparing our students for a better world. </div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span id="goog_155191167"></span><span id="goog_155191168"></span><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />Rebecca Penina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15239592626939478818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2420146181275947118.post-46309139795470416182015-05-03T09:34:00.001-04:002015-05-03T09:34:09.740-04:00Using Educational Technology to Improve the School-Home Learning Connection While Strengthening Parental Involvement<br />
<div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Parent engagement in the school . . . is defined as parents and school staff working together to support and improve the learning and development of students. Research has shown that the education benefits of parent engagement have: better behavior, better school attendance, higher academic performance, high school completion rates and enhanced social skills. We know parents are busy; many homes now have two full-time working parents instead of just one. Other homes just have one parent who might be working full time. As educators, we need to think of creative ways to engage parents in their students' education. Fortunately, the use of Educational Technology can most definitely assist with that, making the job somewhat easier. Therefore, many schools have adopted a LMS (Learning Management Systems) such as Google Classroom, Edmodo, or Haiku, to help keep the lines of communication open between teachers, students, and parents.<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3rQy9tIqAHlbwS-MUqDLz6nyC-0inYZrdlarG3NGPqVLjX9WcJAbUkzQQMiCAAwUjLCTT2FQVfzi1FAstUh49byzaqBO6h3DeZPiUXE0Oq9inHE1nZdz0MrGoLg-M5blBKAa3Q9ySPSd/s1600/Parent+Teacher+Education+Puzzle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3rQy9tIqAHlbwS-MUqDLz6nyC-0inYZrdlarG3NGPqVLjX9WcJAbUkzQQMiCAAwUjLCTT2FQVfzi1FAstUh49byzaqBO6h3DeZPiUXE0Oq9inHE1nZdz0MrGoLg-M5blBKAa3Q9ySPSd/s1600/Parent+Teacher+Education+Puzzle.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">At the same time, educators are using technology not only to engage their students, but to enhance and extend student learning. There are great things happening in your classroom, but do your students' parents know about it? You probably send a newsletter, an email, or post a blog on your school's website, but do you ever give your student's parents a chance to experience what and how your class is learning at home?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Introducing</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://education.smarttech.com/en/products/smart-amp" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit;" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">SMART amp</span></b></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://smarttech.com/About+SMART/About+SMART/Newsroom/Awards" style="color: black; font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Winner of recent awards</a><span style="color: blue;"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">including 2015 Bett Awards, 2014 eSchool News Top Education Products, and a finalist for the 2015 SIIA Education CODIE Awards, SMART amp was designed with the purpose to be used on any device, anywhere, at any time. Because students can learn anywhere on just about any device that has an Internet connection, learning can extend to their homes affording parents the ability to be actively involved with their children's learning. Parents will be able to see what their children are doing with SMART amp and how they are using it to learn in ways that they could not do beforehand. When using SMART amp, the possibilities are infinite as the learning extends beyond the walls of the classroom as doors open up to the outside world. The concepts that students are learning are presented in a workspace that is easy to navigate. Whether it's collaborating with peers, teachers, or researching information, students will have a richer, more meaningful experience on their devices. In addition, there is an assessment component that teachers can add into their workspaces; parents can receive automatic feedback on whether their children have demonstrated mastery of the material in the workspace.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimN2iQ-iSCaYcHM6ysMU4tzb6QrmHdbji6dKg1v_4HkDcl0kWQOdTf_653TcV4hfh0QvGDTYTnYgEA_nhEFl6x68Md4cvwhduVpaiX014empGL904Q-9aCeifno22YXuzg784uSm2Od9Rd/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-04-20+at+8.42.30+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimN2iQ-iSCaYcHM6ysMU4tzb6QrmHdbji6dKg1v_4HkDcl0kWQOdTf_653TcV4hfh0QvGDTYTnYgEA_nhEFl6x68Md4cvwhduVpaiX014empGL904Q-9aCeifno22YXuzg784uSm2Od9Rd/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-04-20+at+8.42.30+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #333333;">Because SMART amp is Google Apps for Education (GAFE) based, parents simply need to login to SMART amp with their children's GAFE accounts and then they will be able to access their children's workspaces. They will be amazed at all of the features that are available as the workspace is like one big canvas that can be filled with their children's creativity. One of the many features is the ability to insert images into the workspace. They do not need to be concerned with their children searching for images in the workspace since SMART has set Microsoft Bing's Safe Search to conduct the search - and this filtering will be applied wherever the students use SMART amp. However, it is still advisable that parents supervise their (younger) children using the Internet on devices and they should not be left unattended. There is also a YouTube search feature which can be used to search for videos and embed them into the workspace. It is important for parents to recognize that YouTube should be set with safety on and/or they should use another filter to block inappropriate content. There are many web filters available, such as </span><a href="http://www1.k9webprotection.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">K9 Web Protection</span></a><span style="color: #333333;"> which is even free.<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">With that mind, we know how important it is for our students to learn digital literacy skills in school to be proper digital citizens. SMART amp helps them to accomplish this. Parents need to remember that they themselves are "digital immigrants," while their children are "digital natives as they are growing up in a digital, media-saturated world and require a media-rich learning environment to hold their attention." (Marc Prensky, 2001) In addition, parents will learn that by using SMART amp, the students are being prepared for the future. They are learning how to collaborate with each other as well as work independently, which are crucial in today's world.<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2BhcMpY__6do57hSZW_dvGN_XInBOLjfAfWrD3VNcAiqaE1DcLTtQeX86r5nRMLic-Vq9Z0t7-v_bneWFMkFyEwCV_LY5PW7r6OYoaYUCt2ui9-iFcGdIgdxugNA5JppsONeRj79ddqK/s1600/Pic+of+SMART+amp+workspace+-+Giant+Panda.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2BhcMpY__6do57hSZW_dvGN_XInBOLjfAfWrD3VNcAiqaE1DcLTtQeX86r5nRMLic-Vq9Z0t7-v_bneWFMkFyEwCV_LY5PW7r6OYoaYUCt2ui9-iFcGdIgdxugNA5JppsONeRj79ddqK/s1600/Pic+of+SMART+amp+workspace+-+Giant+Panda.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A SMART amp workspace with activities that children can use to learn at home.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And SMART amp just keeps getting better and better.....during the past year, significant improvements have been made to the software in the areas of technical aspects as well as user ability. The SMART Technologies Team is in constant touch with SMART Exemplary Educators (SEEs) to inquire how to continue improving the product. After all, at SMART Technologies, education comes first!<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After educators provide parents with the opportunity of using SMART amp at home with their children, they can ask parents to visit classrooms in action to observe the class using SMART amp as a learning tool. Parents can also serve as school volunteers for the library or lunchroom, or as classroom aides, which affords them with a greater amount of "hands-on" time with their children's learning. Further, when a class is conducting a PBL (Project Based Learning/Problem Based Learning) unit, educators can inspire collaboration by inviting a parent who is an expert in that field to come and speak to the class either face to face or virtually.<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Many parents at are on their school's Executive Board and therefore they are involved in decisions related to the school's operating budget. Parents want to do what is best for their children. They also want to know where their tuition dollars - or tax dollars - are going. If educators would like parents to help them in soliciting funds for Educational Technology, then they need to make sure that the parents know about what they are using as learning tools in their classroom and how it benefits the students.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAPm488Aw346xSL9cmKrlswS171aY4DFpv68w18LwG4p8t5VR-_rpNOEHaQnTTPVZBwclOKyZ9m9PpZVX5W5zuJuu6wbzc6isBXiBUaF9g8Hri-RZqtdkVKm5kpi5cvjnCbW8YFWXd8L4Z/s1600/f38619ac785edf3d1b203c0f015f67ad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAPm488Aw346xSL9cmKrlswS171aY4DFpv68w18LwG4p8t5VR-_rpNOEHaQnTTPVZBwclOKyZ9m9PpZVX5W5zuJuu6wbzc6isBXiBUaF9g8Hri-RZqtdkVKm5kpi5cvjnCbW8YFWXd8L4Z/s1600/f38619ac785edf3d1b203c0f015f67ad.jpg" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Rebecca Penina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15239592626939478818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2420146181275947118.post-82998363163703441682015-04-02T15:43:00.001-04:002015-04-02T15:47:55.876-04:00SMART kapp - The Reinvention of the Dry Erase Board"You mean I actually don't have to take notes? You're going to do it for me? Wow, that's so cool!" Those have been the responses I have been receiving from both teachers and students alike whom I teach at my school using SMART kapp, the new Digital Capture Board developed by SMART Technologies. SMART kapp makes it easier for them to focus on the learning by not having to write everything down. And using it could not be any easier since no installation is required.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilH8IMMQXP9-WQiqRwKncpY2CeqAOVPeKMieptspxzAWiNFJXYCEL77bETNSW8aQulBWkrEXDyFTCIAQQpWccUXjfB0ObNdQvPWB4YVWDfjS31dvq2I55tZhFVk-e3igeSd1Y67XxyhzQA/s1600/IMG_0247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilH8IMMQXP9-WQiqRwKncpY2CeqAOVPeKMieptspxzAWiNFJXYCEL77bETNSW8aQulBWkrEXDyFTCIAQQpWccUXjfB0ObNdQvPWB4YVWDfjS31dvq2I55tZhFVk-e3igeSd1Y67XxyhzQA/s1600/IMG_0247.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Robin Gossett, a PE teacher in my school, uses SMART kapp to take notes on a collaborative project using SMART amp software. </div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
I first learned about SMART kapp when I saw it being used at SMART Technologies' headquarters in Calgary this past summer. Knowing that it was developed for the business world, I still thought that there would be ways it could be used to benefit the education world. As an innovative educator, I am always eager to learn and try new things. I therefore approached Warren Barkley, the Chief Technology Officer at SMART, and inquired about the possibility of piloting SMART kapp at my school. Several months later, I was thrilled to discover that I would have the chance to do so.<br />
<br />
SMART kapp is not an interactive whiteboard and was therefore not designed to replace the SMART Board. Rather, it captures digital notes that one writes on the board. I vividly remember my days in middle school and high school, specifically in classes such as algebra, chemistry, and physics, that the professor would speak so quickly and would expect me to take notes just as fast. I dreaded the classes since not only could I not keep up, but I couldn't relate to the content being taught. One of two scenarios happened during each class. Either I would copy the notes from the board and I wouldn't be able to process everything the professor was saying, or I would listen to the professor's lecture, try to understand it, and then copy the notes from the board. However, by the time I would start copying the notes from the board, the professor would be erasing them. It was a Catch-22 and there was just no way out. I wished things could have been easier and that I would be able to pay attention to the lecture and not have to worry about taking the notes. SMART kapp now makes this possible.<br />
<br />
There is clearly a need for SMART kapp in the K-12 education world and even beyond. For students who have special needs, Executive Functioning disorder, and difficulty with taking notes due to delayed fine motor skills, SMART kapp can help both the teachers and students tremendously. The device is not limited to the classroom. The device is perfect for small classes, small group meetings, and for the Teacher's Lounge. <br />
<br />
Using SMART kapp could not be any easier. Just plug it in, download the free app in <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/smart-kapp/id860144252?mt=8" target="_blank">iTunes</a> or <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.smarttech.kapp&hl=en" target="_blank">Google Play</a>, then capture, save, and share. Notes can be saved as snapshots on a mobile device and to your Evernote™, Google Drive™, Dropbox™ or other storage accounts for easy sharing.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/jWR5AdAMXQs/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jWR5AdAMXQs?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
This blogpost has been cross posted at <a href="http://edcompassblog.smarttech.com/" target="_blank">edcompassblog.smarttech.com</a>.Rebecca Penina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15239592626939478818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2420146181275947118.post-63595637766471712772015-02-05T12:05:00.000-05:002015-02-05T12:05:14.582-05:00If Change is So Good, Then Why Do So Many Resist It?There have been many instances in my professional career when my colleagues, superiors, and I have been faced with the opportunity to change and try something new. This change could be a new method in teaching, or simply a change to a school program or calendar. In any case, I am usually open to change that will enable me to grow professionally. I have found that at many times when I was enthusiastic about change, specifically opportunities that would foster my academic and professional growth, others were resistant. If change is a good thing, then why are others resistant to it?<br />
<br />
It's all about vulnerability. When I take on a new a challenge - specifically one that is innovative and has not been accomplished by many, I am forced to step outside of my own comfort zone. When I do this, I am faced with many unknowns; what do I need to do in order to be successful with this challenge, what is considered success in this challenge, and what will be if I am not successful with this challenge? Further,if I am not successful the first time, can I try again? How many times can I try until I have tried enough?<br />
<br />
In my position which is a Middle Leadership role, I am constantly interacting and trying to build positive relationships with many educators at my school. At times, I need to step out of my comfort zone and become vulnerable. Becoming vulnerable leads me to trusting my colleagues as well as teaching them that they can trust me. Sometimes, due to lack of confidence, this might be difficult for me. Being vulnerable can easily lead me to taking things personally when my colleagues are resistant to me bringing about change. However, being a reflective practitioner, I must remember that I am working towards a goal of improving the quality of learning for both educators and their students. <br />
<br />
I honestly have not thought about all of this now. I have learned that becoming vulnerable can be a positive trait; if it is done for the right reasons. Becoming vulnerable enables me to try new things and learning from them. After all, it's not about the outcome of the challenge. Rather, it's about the learning process and taking what I have learned and applying it in the future.<br />
<br />
<br />Rebecca Penina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15239592626939478818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2420146181275947118.post-7224045311186516982014-12-23T15:26:00.001-05:002014-12-23T15:28:25.211-05:00Confessions of an EdTech Coach: Lessons Learned During the First YearI am now in my second year working in the field of Educational Technology at my current school. Originally hired as an EdTech Coach, I was quickly promoted to the position of Director of EdTech as I was already performing the following duties:<br />
<br />
1) Training teachers in use and integration of educational technology in their instruction<br />
2) Teaching students technology skills to support curriculum and instruction<br />
3) Managing the educational technology in our school<br />
<br />
For the purpose of this blog, I am going to focus on my role as an EdTech Coach. By training teachers in proper educational technology integration, I can have an impact on a greater amount of students than by teaching a class myself. This blog post focuses on what I have learned since I have been working in the Educational Technology field. I hope that by sharing my experiences, others will be able to learn from them.<br />
<br />
So here I go....<br />
<br />
Before coming to my school, I was aware that my school had much educational technologies in place. This includes but is not limited to: SMART Boards in almost all of the classrooms, a SMART Response system, document cameras, slates, and Mac and Dell laptops. Because there was so much technology available here, I made the assumption that my school was at the forefront of technology integration. I quickly learned a lesson; never assume anything. Just because a school has the technologies available, it does not mean that the technologies are integrated well into instruction. <br />
<br />
So because my school was in the "dark ages," in terms of educational technology integration, I knew that my job was cut out for me. I was so fortunate to work for a Head of School who I knew had the same thoughts and feelings as I did regarding EdTech integration. Another lesson I learned - make sure you are working in an environment where you have a principal who is supporting you and your vision. <br />
<br />
I knew that through doing my job successfully, not only would I become a part of the school culture, but I would also have the ability to transform it into something else. I pride myself on being a dynamic educator who constantly reflects on teaching practices and strives to improve. Improving requires that one believes in him or herself and the ability to change. Some people get scared by change - they are enveloped by fear. Hence, when some teachers in my school heard that an EdTech Coach was hired to train teachers, they became scared. There was even a teacher who would not even talk to me; she would look the other way. Another lesson I learned - not to take things personally. Just keep smiling!<br />
<br />
Many schools have an IT Director on staff, employed by the school full time. My school does not. Rather, we contract out to a firm and the IT support comes to resolve any issues we are having. Unfortunately, there are times we expect him to come and he does not show up because he might have gotten stuck at another location. There are times we do not expect him to come and he shows up. During my first year, I became very frustrated with this situation. Therefore, I had a meeting along with my school administration with the President of the consulting firm. Though it took some time, I learned to do my very best to stay on good terms with our IT support. His job is to support us in times of need - so I highly recommend to communicate with your IT support daily and work together collaboratively. We need to work together to support our teachers and students.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, many people - including myself, are under the notion that younger educators are more open to integrating technology in their classrooms than older educators. We could not be more wrong. Age has nothing to do with being open to integrating educational technology in the classroom. During the first week of school last year, a teacher who had been teaching over 30 years, entered my Head of School's office while I was meeting with my Head of School. The teacher, who was about to retire, was proud to tell us that she just purchased a tablet. The tablet was not one that I was familiar with. I said to myself, "This is the last teacher I will be working with." Low and behold, I was completely wrong. In the middle of the school year, I learned that I was a recipient of grant for a SMART Board. I was debating where to install the SMART Board. Which teacher could use it to enhance and support student learning? I wanted to make sure that this teacher would work with me to have a proper vision as to how this technology would be integrated in student learning and would work to implement our plan. After some consideration, I decided to give the SMART Board to the teacher who I mentioned above. As a SMART Exemplary Educator, I was given the opportunity to pilot SMART amp. I decided to pilot this software in this teacher's kindergarten classroom. Because of our dedication, persistence, and open mindedness to try new things, the pilot was a huge success. (You can read about my experience here: <a href="http://edtechmorah.blogspot.com/2014/05/kindergarteners-collaborating-yes-they.html" target="_blank">Kindergarteners Collaborating? Yes They Can, With SMART amp!</a>) I am now working with other teachers in my school to train them in using this software to benefit their students' learning. I learned that age has nothing to do with the goal of being a dynamic teacher who is open to new ideas.<br />
<br />
And last but not least - there were times (and there still are) that I would want to just give up. I realize I could not do everything. I felt like I was being held back from moving forward. I can sometimes be competitive and compare myself to my colleagues as to how much I am doing in my school and I often feel like I never accomplish enough. There are two important lessons that I learned here: 1) I am not superwoman. I simply cannot do everything. It is better that I accomplish goals at the level of mastery than half way; this means it is better for me in the long run to take on a number of challenges or goals that are actually realistic for me to succeed at. 2) I need to take that lesson and apply it to my students, who are the teachers at my school. As an educator, I realize that I need to challenge my students by giving them tasks they can complete at mastery level. If I give them too many tasks or tasks that are too difficult for them to achieve, it is very likely that they will give up. The teachers at my school are my students. By giving them expectations and challenges that are realistic, I am setting them up success. Of course, I need to be there to support them in their goals. However, if I set the goals too high, I am setting them up for failure.<br />
<br />
I have learned a lot during the past year and a half. As I grow in my position as an EdTech Coach and as a school leader, I hope to continue to learn more and grow professionally. Looking back and reflecting, I have definitely accomplished a lot in just a short amount of time. It is important for me to take pride in all that I have accomplished and build on that success.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Rebecca Penina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15239592626939478818noreply@blogger.com0