Digital Eyes

How Technology Trends Have Influenced the Classroom The iPad as a hammer: Moving from goals to tools What have iPads done to my room?!...Come Take A Look Teachers’ Most Powerful Role? Adding Context And Then?

A Guidebook for Social Media in the Classroom 12 Ways Teachers are Using Social Media in the Classroom Right Now http://www.edutopia.org/blog/guidebook-social-media-in-classroom-vicki-davis 'Genius hour': What kids can learn from failure http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/09/living/genius-hour-education-schools/index.html Why "20% Time" is Good for Schools Great explanation of why 20% is so important! http://www.edutopia.org/blog/20-percent-time-a-j-juliani?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=blog-secret-of-genius-shared-image 19 Tips, Tricks and Apps for Classroom Management Some great ideas about how iPads and other tech tools can be used to help manage a classroom. http://classtechtips.com/2014/02/20/19-tips-tricks-and-apps-for-classroom-management/ 12 Ways to Leverage the Power of Google Drive in Your Classroom Instruction A great overview of the many ways that Google Drive can be used in the classroom. http://www.educatorstechnolog...

Here are some things I have been reading recently that have really made an impact on me: Great post about some ways to use Explain Everything. I loved the idea of using it for mind mapping! http://kulowiectech.blogspot.com/2013/06/explain-everything-x-4-ways.html Great things to think about as you start thinking about using creation tools! http://www.edudemic.com/learn-while-creating/ I love the way Justin uses the idea of Someday/Monday. I like to tell teachers think big/start small, but I might have to change it up! http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/07/potential-and-reality-the-ipad-as-a-tool-for-creation/

We are in our 2nd year of implementation of 1:1 iPads. One key question that keeps coming up is what does effective integration look like? This is not an easy question to answer, but I have a couple of ideas to help: 1. Students are using them: It may sound simple, but one thing to look for is does the teacher provide students with the opportunity to use them throughout the day. For the first time, technology is able to be in the hands of every student. This is new and different. Many teachers will feel more comfortable using the technology to instruct or present. It requires a big leap for teachers to allow students to use them during class. Recognize this as a success!  2. Teachers are taking risks: As you observe classrooms, look for teachers who are trying something new. Before they can implement effectively, they have to experiment and try a few things. They need to know that they will be supported in trying these new ideas. If they are told that it was a bad lesson...

*Co-written with Jenny Krzystowczyk and cross-posted at http://technologytools4teaching.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-blended-learning-environments-can.html Recently, my friend and colleague David Zukor, who lives in an extreme winter climate, made a point on our Google + page that a Blended Learning Environment would be a great solution to all the snow days they were experiencing. He is right. If an established Blended Learning Environment was up and running, school could be too, even when there is a foot of snow outside. I think educators view a Blended Learning Environment as a massive task to undertake. The simple definition of Blended Learning Environments is: “Learn ing is referred to as hybrid learning combining traditional face-to-face classroom instruction with online learning.”   The revised definition is: “A formal education program in which a student learns at least in part through online delivery of content and instruction with some element of student contro...

There has been a great conversation going on about parents' concerns with 1:1 initiatives and helping kids manage screen time. Here are just a few of the great posts: Scott McLeod's When Parents Want to Opt Their Children Out of Ed Tech Patrick Larkin's A Great Conversation On The Technology Concerns Of Parents Regarding 1:1 Sandy Kendell's Parent Concerns in a 1:1 iPad Initiative Beth Holland's The Balancing Act of Screen Time Thanks to each of them and all the commenters for continuing this conversation. As a tech integration specialist who supports a 1:1 initiative as well as a parent of two children who are part of the 1:1 initiative, this is such an important conversation. I feel compelled to add my thoughts. First, limiting screen time has always been a goal of ours. From the time our kids were little we used an egg timer to help them monitor how long they spent on the computer. As they outgrew this, we still set limits and monitor how much scr...