Today, I am happy to bring you Cathy Brophy: a great friend, former colleague and important member of my PLN.  Her approach to being Tech Integrator is that of service to the teachers and in turn to the students.  She wants teachers to find a comfort with technology so that they use it as an extension of what they already do.  Be sure to follow her on Twitter @brophycat.  ~EMP

In my role as Technology Integrator, I remind teachers daily to think about what they are trying to teach and what they would like students to know and be able to do-BEFORE choosing HOW to use technology in the classroom. On the flip side, I also ask them to look at their daily teaching and learning routines, and recommend ways to integrate technology seamlessly into those classroom routines. For example, in a typical 7^th grade classroom, teachers ask students to write a weekly journal response to their independent reading or to a class read aloud; by using Google Docs- students  have access to their writing from any device with Internet access; set up a classroom blog using kidblog, Blogger or Edublogs- and suddenly students are publishing their journal responses with a wider audience.

Using Kelly Tenkely’s Blooming Peacock http://ilearntechnology.com/?s=blooms+taxonomy&x=0&y=0 it is easy to see how technology can be used for activities that assess learning: remembering and understanding, applying , analyzing, evaluating and creating. For a typical end of unit book project that is designed to assess student understanding of content, technology can take the project to a new level. Using Voicethread, for example, students can collaborate and share their project with others, (remembering and understanding) and provide feedback for each other(analyzing and evaluating), while creating new content.

Finally, using technology to present lessons and learning doesn’t have to be boring! If you have an interactive whiteboard in your classroom, instead of creating a static PowerPoint presentation, have students create their project using interactive whiteboard software such as Promethean’s Flipchart, RM Easiteach or Smart Notebook. Their classmates can interact with their presentation, getting everyone involved. If you use Microsoft Office at your school, Microsoft has a new plug in for PowerPoint 2007 and newer called Mouse Mischief http://blogs.msdn.com/b/mousemischief/ that can turn an ordinary PowerPoint into an interactive lesson or presentation using wireless mice! Google also has a collaborative presentation software, and Prezi just came out with a collaborative workspace, as well.

Day to day technology integration should not require hours of planning and preparation. Try to take what already works and make it paperless, interactive, and accessible to a wider audience.  When technology becomes a part of your daily teaching and learning routine, you will be amazed at what can happen. The hardest part is going for it!

Related posts:

1. Technology in the Classroom – A New Series is Beginning!
2. Why use technology in education?
3. A Special Educator’s Philosophy on the Importance of Educational Technology

What a hot topic this is!

Do you friend students on Facebook?

Do you follow them on Twitter?

Do you use social media to communicate with students and families?

Do you even want to go there?  Some teachers do not and others say that friending students online is a natural extension of their job as teacher.

This is and has been my personal policy on the use of FB with students:

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I can’t help it.  I play it safe and don’t want that line to be crossed.  On the other hand, I can see the benefits of utilizing SM (social media) in school.  Often, I have thought it might be good to start a “Mrs. Peterson” fan page, where it is a teacher profile of me.  But word on the street (and actually straight from my Superintendent’s mouth) is that teachers in my district are highly discouraged (and may be banned) from using Facebook as a means to communicate with students.

There must be some happy medium here.  I can certainly see both viewpoints.

One way I have found to use Twitter in my classroom is by creating a new Twitter handle for me as a teacher: @MrsEPeterson.  During the day, I will tweet using my Droid about what we are doing in class, often uploading pictures using Twitpics.  I cleared the idea with my principal who knows that the stream of my tweets can be viewed on my classroom website.  And even though Twitter (and FB) is blocked at school, my students’ families can see the stream from their homes.

At a recent #edchat, there was talk about changing the name to “learning media” 

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The fact of the matter is that we can’t change what social media is and what it does: it connects people and if the power of SM is harnessed, then what a powerful tool it could be for learning!

Here’s some food for thought – We may be expected to teach students how to use social media responsibly.

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Personally, I consider this almost akin to teaching Sex Ed (There! I said it!)  It is something that children and young adults will come across early in their life and it carries some risk.  Yes, parents should be teaching their children about it at home, but it also becomes the school system’s responsibility.  I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on this!

DON’T get me wrong, I think educating students about SM is important.  In fact, it is something that needs to be addressed in school for a variety of reasons.  Most importantly, it is a reality to our students!  They want to be social online, they crave it and we would be remiss if we lost out on this opportunity!

Do I have a solution?  Hmmmm…..  Well, I have a couple of ideas.

First, would be to educate administration on the benefits and pitfalls of SM in the classroom.  Part of this would be to encourage them to join a network, such as Twitter where they can come in contact with other administrators who could share ideas, successes and failures with SM and technology in general.  This would also help provide them with the resources to help implement the next idea.

Second, would be to assist teachers in their use of SM.  This would involve education and netiquette for proper use of networking sites.  Our main focus would have to be on ways to use various means of social media in a highly professional way.  Maybe the solution is for teachers who want to involve SM in their teaching to NOT use their personal accounts.  Just as you wouldn’t give students your home phone number to call, you wouldn’t give them all access to your personal information on Facebook.  (That’s where I think you are asking for some kind of trouble down the road.)

Third, would of course be to educate the students and families on proper use of SM.  This is probably something that should happen anyway.  Parents want to learn how to protect their children online while giving them the opportunity to use SM.

Finally – implementation!  Student blogging is one way to start.  With blogging, using a platform such as kidblog.org, students can reflect on their learning, accept comments from other students and write comment as well.

Another site that came up on #edchat was schoology.com.  This site appears to have many great possibilities as it mixes a Facebook-style page (with comments, pics, links and social interaction) with classroom learning features such as assignments, document uploads and a calendar.

There is a case for Social Media in our classrooms.  With the proper tools and training, SM (including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and much more!) could truly be an integral part of our teaching.  It is here and it is not going away.  If we take the opportunity to use it thoughtfully, the possibilities could lead to much success!

What are your thoughts?  Do you use SM in your classroom?  Do you have a success story? What are your fears with using SM as a teacher?

Please leave a comment so we can learn from one another!

Related posts:

1. Technology in the Classroom – A New Series is Beginning!
2. Tech as a Tool for Teacher Collaboration

Here is a great post by Melissa Edwards.  I find this dillema to be so true: teachers are asked to use a tech tool and to make it fit with what they’re teaching. Or a teacher may find a cool tool and in wanting so much to try it, they find a way to just “make it happen.”  Read this thoughtful post, it may ease your mind on how to effectively use tech in your teaching.  ~EMP

When you use a technology tool for a lesson, do you have a good reason to use that technology or are you just using it because it is “technology” and you feel like you are supposed to use it? I remember learning about a “new” technology tool and then going and figuring out what lesson I could teach so that I could use or show that technology. I quickly came to realize that an educational topic should drive a lesson, not the use of a technology tool.

In education, we are in the business of learning. I feel teachers do whatever is needed using whatever materials and resources they can to best meet students’ needs, whether it involves technology or not. Student needs should be the driving force behind a lesson, not the “need” to show off a “new” technology tool. I think that teachers need to be exposed to a variety of technology tools so they can choose which one best fits with the educational lesson being taught (if technology can help … if it can’t, don’t use it).

While going through my google reader, I came across a blog post with the title “Tim ‘The Toolman’ Taylor” on Kyle Pace’s blog. Listed below are several quotes from that post that really caught my attention and prompted me to write this one.

• Showing, not just telling – If a presenter is sharing a new and great tool, back it up with how it can be directly related to the content being taught. Concrete examples should be provided. Like I said during EdChat, “If the tool is only being seen for its glitz, then the person sharing the tool didn’t do their homework beforehand.” Teachers need to know how it’s going to enhance student learning. Students should be able to go home and easily explain this to their parents. Not just go home and say, “We used Google Docs today and it was cool.” Ok, so it was cool; we all know that, but how did it enhance your learning experience?
• Kristen Winkler said during EdChat: “Tech is the spice, content is the dish. Tech accentuates learning but the content needs to be in the center of the process.” I thought this was a great way of putting it. Teachers, you already have the “dish” down pat, but maybe it’s time to try a new “spice”?
• Elana Leoni also reminded us that we should “Always have the students’ needs in mind. Just because it’s cool doesn’t mean it’s an effective learning tool.”
• Mary Beth Hertz said during EdChat: “Write the lesson first, choose the tool last.”
• Deven Black said it very well: “Teachers, like students, need a safe place to fail using tech in teaching. Failure is the key to learning.”

Related posts:

1. A Special Educator’s Philosophy on the Importance of Educational Technology
2. Technology in the Classroom – A New Series is Beginning!
3. Education Yesterday and Today

Part of teaching is sharing your knowledge and experiences. We can’t forget that. You may have heard people say, “Teachers should not teach in isolation.” (This couldn’t be farther from the truth for me as I teach in a modified open concept school. I am the opposite of isolation!) Opening your doors to your colleagues can be scary sometimes, but we need to do it. Collaboration is one true key to success in education and with technology, we really have no excuses. Other teachers are only a few clicks away and are often very willing to share stories, camaraderie and ideas.

Twitter has been a huge part of this extended collaboration for me. I have a PLN (personal learning network) that spans the world – really, the world! I connect with teachers around the corner and from miles away: building relationships, sharing ideas and exchanging tools to use in our daily teaching.  I invite you to follow me, @eliza_peterson and  @inspired_clsrm.

Through my blog, I’ve been able to open up the doors here at The Inspired Classroom as a way to collaborate with other teachers.  For every series, I have invited guest bloggers to post on topics about which they are passionate.  Personal friends as well as Tweeple from my online PLN have joined me to create a much more complete series.  Instead of just one point of view (mine), we’ve been able to create a forum for many perspectives on various topics.  Check out the tags on the side bar to peruse these topics, and click on “guest bloggers” to see who has and who will be posting here.

In the past weeks, I was fortunate enough to collaborate via Skype with great educators from my PLN.  For one project, I met online with @michellek107, @kylepace and @doremigirl to collaborate on a presentation idea for #iste2011 (International Society for Technology in Education).  We not only were able to conference together and brainstorm ideas via Skype, but were able to simultaneously create our proposal using Google Docs.  We now await the approval of “Music and Tech: Harmony in the Making”…cross your fingers!

I also recently used Skype to work with @band_techie to collaborate on a presentation on music integration and teacher collaboration titled “Beyond the Notes.”  It was presented just this past week at #NMSA2010 (National Middle School Association).   Keith, (@band_techie) Skyped me in near the end of their presentation in Baltimore, Maryland and I, in New Hampshire, showed up on a screen in the room and discussed ways I have used teacher collaboration to enrich students’ learning experiences, specifically The National Anthem Project.

Speaking of presentations, technology can be a great way to get your ideas out to other teachers during presentations.  I’ve just started using YouTube to do this.  In fact, as a back up plan for my presentation with Keith, I video taped my presentation using my webcam and uploaded it onto YouTube.  You can see the full presentation on music integration and teacher collaboration here in two parts.

Glogster is another tool I’ve found very useful when giving presentations and sharing ideas.  I use it as a living handout to participants – one that has every link they need and that can be accessed from any computer connected to the internet.  The first example is for a workshop I give  on using Audacity, a free audio editing software and the second is one I used for my presentation at #ntcamp on integrating music Active Listening experiences in your teaching.

Tech is not just a tool to think about using for your students, but it is one to use for YOU!  From virtual conferencing to sharing of ideas, you can use technology to open so many doors to other teachers who have so much to share, as well as to share what knowledge, expertise and experiences you have.

How have you used technology and Web 2.0 to collaborate with other teachers?

~EMP

Related posts:

1. PLN Collaboration
2. Summer Learning, Something’s Begun
3. Collaboration at #ntcamp

Software can be an expensive burden for schools to carry year after year.  This expense can result in a decreased use of technology because schools can’t purchase the tools that make the technology worthwhile.  Lack of budget doesn’t have to stop you in your tracks.  There are thousands of free technology resources and online tools that will keep your students learning even without a large software budget.  Below are a few of my favorite free online productivity tools that offer excellent alternatives to their expensive software counterparts.

Related posts:

1. Teach Free and Thrive
2. No Free Rides: Assessment in the Arts

This month, our focus at The Inspired Classroom will be on technology in the classroom.  Technology is a vital part of our world.  We use it in our homes, in the work place and in our schools.  But in order for us to use technology properly, we need to understand it and the opportunities it can create in our classrooms.  Kids love to learn through technology, it is a natural mix.  And with the need to close the global achievement gap, the use of tech in our teaching seems to be not only a hot topic, but a necessity.

Of course we realize that there are challenges: budget, lack of equipment and/or training, time and space.  We will be addressing those issues too.  So, join us this month for some great view points, ideas and practical uses for technology in your teaching.

And if you’re wondering why a website that is so very much devoted to Arts Integration is going to focus on technology, consider all the possibilities for arts education and integration through technology.  Our computers, our mp3 players, our digital cameras are all tools for artists and recievers of art.  There is quite the multitude and variety of media out there that is waiting to be utilized in our classrooms.  In order for we teachers to teach our students through technology, we must first learn to harness the power and the possibilities of technology.

We have some great guest bloggers who have a lot of experience and expertise in technology integration into teaching.  Please scroll our homepage as we have released the names and bios of four of our guest bloggers for the series.

Enjoy!

Is there something in particular you would like us to address or talk about?  Let us know!

Related posts:

1. TIC – A New Beginning
2. Highlights from the Arts Integration Series
3. Arts Integration Series About to Begin