Are You Attending the ISTE 2015 Conference? If Not, Visit This Site!

What an interesting week this has been. Our family room was flooded for the first (and I hope the last) time ever. And I taught a week-long workshop about creatively using SMART Boards with a group of talented and hard-working educators. This week definitely had lows and highs. I must also say that even though getting the water out of the family room and cleaning afterwards is not fun, I realize how blessed we are to have had only a few inches of water in the room rather than several feet of water as I have seen on news shows that reported flooding from other storms in other parts of the country.

ISTE Standards for Teachers / Denise Krebs / CC BY 2.0

Since we are still cleaning, today's blog post is just a short note about an excellent site that I visited as I have researched ideas for this Summer's workshops.

T&L Live @ ISTE

http://tltechlive.techlearning.com/

If you are not at ISTE 2015, you probably wish you were. I do! Tech & Learning describes this site:

Tech&Learning Live @ISTE2015 is a curated social media hub that will deliver highlights of the world's largest edtech events as selected by Tech&Learning Media Group's team of journalists.

Read about both the tools and the news of using edtech with our students. My favorite quotation so far is:

Our students' dreams are bigger than the standards we have to cover.

(Sorry that I cannot tell you (yet!) who said that. The post had a photo of the speaker, but I do not recognize her. If anyone can tell me who to credit for that quotation, I would appreciate it.)

You'll find suggestions on attending (and preparing to attend) an ISTE conference in addition to teaching and learning ideas and tools... and lots of links to follow.

Be sure to visit and explore T&L Live @ ISTE
http://tltechlive.techlearning.com/

It's Time to Organize Your Photos!

 

189/365 Memories (+1) / martinak15 / CC BY 2.0

Melanie Pinola tackles some tough issues that arise when we decide that we want to organize our photos:

• clean up duplicates
• automatically share photos
• sync and sort photos
• tackle family photos
• future-proof photos
• put all photos in one location
• use a folder- and file-naming structure that works

She provides suggestions for organizing our photos with links to "how to's" for each suggestion. Pinola makes very good suggestions to handle the challenges of organizing our photos. Well done!



Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Messy Photo Collection
http://lifehacker.com/top-10-ways-to-improve-your-messy-photo-collection-1707830539
May 30, 2015


Melanie Pinola
http://kinja.com/MelaniePinola

Teaching Mathematics (Free Online Assessment Tool and 3 Act Tasks), Content Chunking in eLearning, and a Virtual Tour through a Cave... in Education Today

If you are interested in these topics--virtual tours, teaching mathematics, and/or content chunking--then you may find useful ideas in these posts.

Hang En Cave 6 / Hugh Derr / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Take a Virtual Journey through Vietnam's Massive Son Doong Cave
http://www.theverge.com/2015/5/30/8691739/son-doong-cave-vietnam-tour
May 30, 2015

Lizzie Plaugic
http://www.theverge.com/users/lizzieplaugic

National Geographic created a virtual tour of the Son Doong cave, one of the world's largest caves. This cave is so large that clouds can form inside it.

The tour uses text, a site map, sound, zoom, and sharing. You can manipulate the 360-degree image to explore inside the cave. Be sure to also click on the link to the video shot inside the cave by a drone.

Math Wordle Bulletin Board / Enokson / CC BY-NC 2.0

Tap into Teen Minds
https://tapintoteenminds.com/knowledgehooks-free-gameshow-assessment-tool/
May 30, 2015

Kyle Pearce
https://tapintoteenminds.com/about-me/

Check Out @Knowledgehook’s FREE Gameshow Assessment Tool!
A Free Gamified Clicker Tool With Ready-Made Content!

Pearce explores this free online assessment tool that can be used as a game show with questions already prepared... or with questions that you have customized. He shares screen shots and pros and cons of this product that is in beta production. Using your own questions is one of the pros; the fact that only Canadian provinces are listed at this point is one of the cons. He believes this product has much potential.

I tried playing the game both as a teacher and as a student. It was easy--as a teacher--to modify the questions. It was fun--as a student--to play on my smartphone. In the classroom you can project the questions and possible answers for all to see. Students can play as long as they have access to a web browser.

This assessment tool is promoted for reviewing mathematics. However, I agree with Kyle Pearce. There is very good potential here for other subjects as well.


Also... while you are visiting Kyle Pearce's blog, be sure to check out the 3 Act Math Tasks at https://tapintoteenminds.com/3act-math/. Scroll to the bottom of the page to access more than 100 3 Act Math Tasks and related resources. (For more information, see a previous post I wrote about 3 Act Math Tasks (http://teachinginadigitalworld.blogspot.com/2014/09/3-act-tasks-in-classroom.html).)
 
These resources are enough to make me wish I were teaching mathematics again!

Chunking / Phil and Jo Schiffbauer / CC BY 2.0

6 Advantages of Content Chunking in E-learning -- An Infographic
http://blog.commlabindia.com/elearning-design/advantages-of-elearning-content-chunking-infographic
May 29, 2015

Chinthakunta Krishna
http://blog.commlabindia.com/author/krishnac/

Krishna explains what content chunking is and then presents an infographic to list the importance of using it in elearning (or online learning). Is an infographic necessary to list six items? No. But, it is a good visual tool if you are sharing the idea with others... and I think it's a good reminder to myself to take advantage of chunking when I'm creating online courses.

Teaching Twitter, Connecting with Families During the Summer, and Learning from Student Evaluations... in Education Today

If you are interested in these topics--teaching Twitter, connecting to families, and/or learning from student evaluations of your teaching--then you will find useful ideas in these blog posts.

The Art of Twitter / mkhmarketing / CC BY 2.0

Online Teaching and Twitter: Beyond the Basics
http://www.onlinecolleges.net/online-teaching-and-twitter-beyond-the-basics/

Melissa A. Venable, PhD
http://www.onlinecolleges.net/about/

Venable shares great ideas for introducing Twitter to educators. These strategies can be modified for other students, also.

Connect / http://www.gotcredit.com/ / CC BY 2.0

8 Digital Resources To Stay Connected to Families This Summer
http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2015/05/8-digital-resources-to-stay-connected.html

Lisa Nielsen
http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/p/about-me.html

Nielsen recommends using social media tools to stay connected with families this summer. She provides many good examples. Which tool will work best for you?

Amazing Teachers / Bunches and Bits (Karina) / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Here Are Forms Students Will Be Using To Evaluate The Class & Me
http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2015/05/16/here-are-forms-students-will-be-using-to-evaluate-the-class-me/

Larry Ferlazzo
http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/about/

I have always learned so much from the evaluation forms I ask my students to complete at the end of a course. It is interesting--and instructive--to read Ferlazzo's reactions to his students' evaluations and to see an example of an evaluation form he designed and used.

Being Paperless, Using Skype, and Creating Videos... in Education Today

Some interesting blog posts I have read recently about being paperless, using Skype, and creating videos...

Going Green / State Farm / CC BY 2.0

PAPERLESS Classroom Hacks: Teacher Efficiency
http://www.hotlunchtray.com/paperless-classroom-hacks-teacher-efficiency/

Penny Christensen
http://www.hotlunchtray.com/about/
http://www.hotlunchtray.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Personal-Bio-Plate.pdf

Penny Christensen initially asks us to "identify what you want." If we choose what we want to accomplish by going paperless, we can decide how to begin our journey. She provides good advice for the beginning steps... and then shares practical suggestions for software, hardware, and structure appropriate to use to meet our goals. Christensen's recommendations are very good for folks interested in developing a paperless classroom.

Skype Classroom - Sharks / Laurie Sullivan / CC BY 2.0

6 Creative Ways to Use Skype in the Classroom
http://www.edudemic.com/skype-in-classroom/

Kristen Hicks
http://www.edudemic.com/author/kristenhicks/

Skype--a free service for calls--has been used by friends, families, and businesses for many years. It is now also becoming more popular in classrooms.

• Skype is the modern penpal for students when it is used for collaboration with other classrooms.
• Experts can visit your classroom virtually more readily than they can in person.
• Teachers can communicate with students and their parents who are too ill or otherwise unavailable to be in class.
• Educators and/or volunteers can be available to students for tutoring outside the classroom.
• Classrooms can host virtual career exploration days with parents as the experts for the students.
• Teachers can facilitate group meetings for projects and extracurricular activities.

After explaining and providing useful ideas for these creative suggestions Kristen Hicks then suggests tools that will help teachers to implement these ideas successfully. Hicks' suggestions are practical and useful for beginners and also for those teachers who have already used Skype.

Technology Use / Denise Krebs / CC BY 2.0

Seven Steps for Creating Videos in Your Classroom
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2015/05/seven-steps-for-creating-videos-in-your.html#.VVAAVuf4mPV

Richard Byrne
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/p/about-richard-byrne-and-free-technology.html#.VVAAgOf4mPU

For many years we have taught students and their teachers to plan projects before they actually create anything. Is that what you actually do? I find that I must do some creating before I understand what it is that I need to plan.
 
Richard Byrne has re-visited the creation process and changed his approach to one that--I believe--is useful, practical, and relevant for students. Plus--I think--it works. Read his explanation and his revised creation process for short classroom videos to see if you agree.

Instructional Design and Digital Curriculum in Education Today... Black-and-White Photos and Photo Storage in Photography Today

Some interesting blog posts I have read recently about online courses (and blended learning) and photography...
 

"Addie-design" by Dave Braunschweig - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Addie-design.png#/media/File:Addie-design.png

Instructional Design...

Handy Checklist for Instructional Designers
KomiReddy Deepika
http://blog.commlabindia.com/elearning-design/checklist-for-instructional-designers

Do you use lists to help you organize your time and efforts? A list can help you to be efficient when you design online courses, too. Deepika's checklist has six parameters (with specific suggestions for each) to check when designing a course. The parameters include:

• learning objectives
• flow of content
• instructional strategy
• presentation
• assessments and feedback
• accessibility and navigation.

These are good reminders of what you should include when you create a course.

_________________________

Tips on Accelerating a Digital Curriculum in Your School Infographic
http://elearninginfographics.com/tips-accelerating-digital-curriculum-school-infographic/

The infographic in this article lists some best practices for implementing online programs. The basic ideas include:

• set goals for your digital curriculum
• bridge the "digital divide" with planning
• use digital content to shift students to active learning
• make your digital content easy for teachers to use and share
• use your digital curriculum to make time for the activities you value.

Each best practice lists specific ideas for that step. These suggestions work well for individual teachers as well as for schools and districts.


Find more education infographics on e-Learning Infographics

_________________________

B&W Trees / Phil and Jo Schiffbauer / CC BY 2.0

Photography...
Video Series: Black and White
http://www.picmonkey.com/blog/black-and-white-effects/
 
Black-and-white photos are not just... well... black and white when you use PicMonkey for photo-editing. You can use a color picker with the black-and-white setting to filter color. The daguerreotype setting allows you to work with black-and-white or sepia or what looks like a dark sepia. And a color picker is available there, too, for filtering colors. Plus both these options have fade controls.

PicMonkey provides short video tutorials for these effects and they are creating additional videos for other black-and-white effects.

_________________________

Olde Time / Jeff Hitchcock / CC BY 2.0

All-Time Greatest Album: the best way to manage your photos online in 2015
Casey Newton
http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/29/8467289/cloud-photo-storage-comparison-dropbox-icloud-flickr-onedrive-free

Casey Newton describes--and then charts the features of--eight photo storage services. He recommends which services work best for different types of photographers (average users and power users). He describes pros and cons for storage, auto-uploading, power, ease of use, value, and costs. The many comments at the end of this article discuss additional issues and provide useful insight.

Updating an Augmented Reality Workshop Unit

I'm updating my workshop unit on using augmented reality in the classroom. These Internet resources look helpful for the workshop participants.

Girl from Ipanema / SNDRV /  CC BY 2.0

Augmented Reality Articles…

Apps…

• Image Recognition That Triggers Augmented Reality
• http://www.ted.com/talks/matt_mills_image_recognition_that_triggers_augmented_reality?language=en 
• 201206

• 15 Best Augmented Reality Apps
• http://www.tomsguide.com/us/pictures-story/657-best-augmented-reality-apps.html
• 201502

• 40 Best Augmented Reality iPhone Apps
• http://www.iphoneness.com/iphone-apps/best-augmented-reality-iphone-applications/
• date?

• 5 Top Augmented Reality Apps for Education
• http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/augmented-reality-apps-for-education/
• date?

Blog…

• Augmented Blog
• http://blog.metaio.com/
• 201504

AR in Education…

• How to Bring Augmented Reality to Your School's Art Show
• https://www.edsurge.com/n/2015-04-26-how-to-bring-augmented-reality-to-your-school-s-art-show
• 201504

• How to Use Augmented Reality in the Classroom
• http://edtechreview.in/trends-insights/insights/1210-how-to-use-augmented-reality-in-the-classroom
• 201405

• Augmented Reality: Good for Schools?
• http://ltd.edc.org/augmented-reality-good-schools
• 201406

• Augmented Reality Applied to Education
• http://infinitespider.com/augmented-reality-education/
• 201501

• Augmented Reality for Special Education
• http://wildcataz.wikispaces.com/Augmented+Reality+for+Special+Education
• 2015?

• Meetup: Augmented Reality in Education
• https://medium.com/emerge-edtech-insights/meetup-augmented-reality-in-education-e78039fdf80b
• date?

Possible Uses…

• The World is Not Enough: Google and the Future of Augmented Reality
• http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/10/the-world-is-not-enough-google-and-the-future-of-augmented-reality/264059/
• 201210

• How Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Will Generate $150 Billion in Revenue by 2020
• http://fortune.com/2015/04/25/augmented-reality-virtual-reality/
• 201504

• How Augmented Reality Gets to Work--And Gets Past the "Glassholes"
• http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/03/25/augmented-reality-gets-to-work-and-gets-past-the-glassholes/
• 201503

• An Education in Augmented Reality: 8 Tips for Getting Started 
• http://www.information-age.com/technology/applications-and-development/123458747/education-augmented-reality-8-tips-getting-started
• 201412