Apps of the week

I have been trying to highlight an app each week with my resource room and also my iPad class. I love getting some new ideas as to how to use the app in the educational setting. Some of the kids are not afraid to take a risk and share some ideas, while some are a little timid. This marking period I have not done an app review of the week. There are a few reasons:

1. the weather has been crazy. We have stopped, started and stopped again. The past 4 days that I have seen my class are the longest stretch we have gone. 
2. the kids were mainly looking for games. While I know there is a place for the games, some of the teachers around me are frustrated that the iPads are being used that way. 
3. We haven't had time.  (Yes I know this is the same as #1)

Last week we highlighted Haiku Deck and the kids loved it. I love the backgrounds, pictures and limited space for writing. My students tend to want to put everything they need to say onto a power point slide. The nice thing about Haiku Deck is that it limits their words and forces them to speak more. On a rating scale of 1 to 5 stars, my students gave it a 4 star rating. They felt it was easy to use and loved the on screen tutorials. My lowest reader said those were the most helpful.

This week in the iPad class I am introducing Snap Guide. They will be making a "how to book" of their choice. Right now I am at a crossroads as to deciding if I should make it a certain number of images, etc. But I really want to give them the freedom to write about what they want.  I am also toying with the idea of having the kids participate in a "how to" fair. They would share their Snap Guide and their finished project with their teachers, other students, tech people and administration. Just not sure they would think it was a good project or just goofy. I shared this app with the gym teacher, they can use it to design their own exercise program, or for the younger kids, they can design an obstacle course as one of their Blizzard Bags. I can even see them using this in reading. When they read a book such as The Hunger Games, why not make a survival guide from Castniss' point of view. Just another way to use the amazing technology we have been given. My goal is to show this to my resource room students so they can help me write the review and give it the star ratings. 

Last week I said that I was submitting a proposal to present at Bowling Green's M Learning Symposium in May. Well I found out that I was accepted to present. I will be presenting on making mobile learning work within the resource room. I am very excited.

I often use my class as test subjects with things that relate to technology. This year is no exception as we went to one to one devices. Once we started the year (and overcame some of our hurdles), the tech committee realized we needed something better than just Google to give and get papers and assignments to our students. One of the apps/sites we have been testing is Schoology (@ schoology.com). Both my 8th grade math class (small class with only 7 kiddos) and my iPad class (23 kids) are using schoology. Saturday afternoon I was sitting around playing with it and putting some upcoming assignments into their iPad course. I had three different students on schoology at the same time. One asked a question in response to my discussion question, two others submitted an assignment. So even though it was the weekend, learning was still happening. The iPad class has only met about a half dozen times as of last week. Last Monday was the first day I introduced them to schoology. Tuesday I was asked to speak to the elementary tech committee on using this LMS, so I left the kids a video to watch with a question to respond to and another assignment using an app on their iPad. While I was presenting, my students were still learning and I was getting notifications that the kids were responding to my questions and also submitting their assignments. I was impressed.

Our next test is with virtual classroom via progressbook. I am planning on showing my reading class this feature tomorrow.

Professional Development

Now that I have been bitten by the technology bug I am having a hard time with my own professional development. I want meetings to be flipped, my classroom to be blended and most of all I want to learn more. Most of the sessions that I went to at OETC were amazing, there were a few that did nothing for me and then there were few that made me think about presenting. Problem is that I become very nervous in front of my peers. What happens is that my NY accent comes out along with the NY speed. That being said, I only typically present to my peers within the building. The last time I presented in a larger group was at the Ohio Special Education Conference but I had a couple of co-presenters with me.

But being at OETC has me seriously thinking about presenting. My students are doing some amazing things in my classroom (I can take partial credit for that) and the world (or at least the state of Ohio) needs to be shown what they can do. I shared my desire to present with my educational cheerleader (thanks Laura @mrs._ldavis ) and she sends me the information for Bowling Green's M-Learning Symposium in May. Last night I submitted a proposal to present a 45 minute session on one to one in the resource room.

I have the opportunity to share what I have found out about schoology (@schoology) to the elementary technology committee on Tuesday morning. I am excited about it as one of my students said "if you can have us use it, then anyone can use it." I told him it was not entirely true but I understood where he was coming from. I guess this can be the stepping stone I need.

On the classroom front, I designed a new interactive bulletin board for the hallway. It will have an app of the week, with a QR code to get to it, plus reviews and hopefully a summary from the kids that use it. In addition, I am hoping to have guest bloggers on my school blog about technology. As we grow I would love to turn over those responsibilities to students. Being in middle school with some digital natives, I have started to plan and ask for a "genius hour". Having the students take more responsibility in teaching their peers, supporting the teachers and furthering the technology goals we have. Allowing some of the unconventional students a time to shine.

Digital Learning Day

Today was Digital Learning Day and in Ohio we had a snow day. So much for being able to be digital all day at school. But that is ok...every day in my classroom can be digital learning day. Earlier this week we had to make blizzard bags for our students. In math class, my students were going to use the ShowMe app with their iPad to record themselves solving equations. Not bad for a group of kids who in 6th grade struggle with adding and subtracting. Other classes had similar projects where I forced them to create.

When I came back from OETC I decided that the bulletin board in my hallway was BORING. It is in the process of being transformed into an interactive digital bulletin board. The plan is to highlight an app (either one on our devices currently or a new one) complete with a QR code link to it in the itunes store. This week was ShowMe and the reviews are the ones from my actual students. I also started a sister blog to this one, where I plan to have guests (students) blog about something technology based. Last week I put 5 QR codes on the wall for my iPad class, a few different presentation tools. I didn't have a chance to take them down between periods, what I noticed is that others students were coming up and grabbing the codes. I hope that the teachers in the building see some amazing presentations because of this.

And just like that I am back

Since January started I have 7 days where there were no classes, 8 days of delays where I do not see my iPad class and a total of 6 NORMAL DAYS. Looking at that it is no wonder I haven't gotten anything done.

I spent three amazing days at OETC 14 (Ohio educational technology conference) and it was wonderful. Granted not all of the sessions were wonderful, but a majority of them had very useful content. I was able to take 9 pages worth of electronic notes and then a page of ideas that I have moving around in my head. I really needed a secretary to take notes as I was driving home yesterday. My biggest take away from all of the sessions was to allow students to create and explain in order to show their personal understanding AND then I hit reality this morning.

I am in an amazing situation. In our building we have 2 computer labs (not always working), 3 mobile laptop carts, 5 thin client computers in my room and the kids are 1 to 1 with iPads. Every teacher has an iPad and also a laptop. Our laptops are primarily hooked up to the Promethean boards so I know I use my iPad. The fact is even though we have all of this technology at out fingertips, it is not being used. We have some issues with being able to do certain things such as a class twitter account for exit tickets or general information, being able to read educational blogs due to content blocked but these are minor when compared to the bigger issue of... as a school we are not using what we have been given. My 6th grade iPad class met for the 2nd time today. I wanted them to make a presentation of some sort about them. I told them they can even use power point on the iPad (I was desperate) and they don't even know how to open it. By now the kids have had their iPads since August about 20 weeks and they don't know what to do. We are doing a HUGE disservice to kids.