Quality...not application

There has been an argument going on that makes me just a little crazy. People arguing over the validity of PowerPoint vs. Prezi vs. Keynote vs. Haiku Deck vs. Google Presentation vs. blah blah blah.... Here is the bottom line:  it is about the presentation, NOT the tool that is used to create it.  A good presenter could work with any presentation tool and make it sing.  Do we have preferences? Yes.  Do we have to be snotty about which one we think our kids should be using? Absolutely not.  I know it is tempting to build up our tech cred, but if we stop trying to be so trendy, and start being practical - we can put the focus on where it belongs. The principles of a good presentation reach beyond a tool, and can apply universally to any application our students are using.  Thank you for letting me vent a little.  I needed it.  Maybe I'll make this into a presentation. Now which tool should I use?...

Don't be an island

For years I have been trying to sell teachers on the advantages of using PLN's (Personal Learning Networks) as a way to get that outside support and insight into daily classroom practices.  I understand that it is not always easy to try something new, and that it can be intimidating at first.  Here are some quick tips to get yourself started with a PLN.

1) Start following websites and blogs with an RSS feed reader (not complicated at all).  I use Feedly, but this is only one of many available free readers. To use Feedly, go to Feedly.com and sign up for a free account.  Once you have an account, you can subscribe to any blog or website by selecting the "add content" heading and pasting the url into the field provided.  Now, whenever you go to Feedly.com, or open the Feedly app on your iOS or Android phone - you can quickly skim through the headlines of your favorite websites and read any articles that sound interesting to you. You can also easily save your favorites with a touch of a button.  Not sure what sites to subscibe to? Of course I recommend this site to everyone, but I also have my favorite blogs listed on the right column of this blog.  As you get more into the idea of using a reader - your tastes and preferences will grow to be more personal to your interests.

You can sort different groups of websites as different categories too.  I might have a technology group, ELA group, sports group, music group, etc.  Of course, like anything that is web-based, whatever you do on your computer is synced with your phone and tablet, so you are able to check-in no matter what device you are using.

2) Make the leap to Twitter.  I know, I know...if you are not on Twitter right now, it is probably because you are biased against what you perceive it to be.  I can understand the backlash against Twitter, as it is only as useful as the person using it.  So trust me when I tell you - it can be extremely useful.  Getting started, I would set up an account with the intention of using it for professional purposes only.  Many people use their personal Twitter account for everything - but I would caution against doing that, at least until you have a better understanding of how Twitter works, and what you want to publicly share.

Once you have a Twitter account - start following people.  Who do you follow? Smart people.  People you think have good insight.  People who you work with.  People you would like to work with.  As you look at people's feeds, you will constantly be discovering people who you would like to follow.  As the amount of people you follow grows, your feed will also update more rapidly, and you will be able to see how quickly you can learn things from other people in the world of education.  You will also be aware of conversations that are happening across the educational landscape that will open your eyes to the bigger picture.

As a beginner on Twitter, there is no obligation to contribute to conversations that you are reading.  It is a nice way to observe how it works and take away valuable resources.  As you continue to use Twitter, you will (hopefully) feel a natural inclination to become part of the conversations that you are reading and engage yourself in the willingness to be a part of the new generation of connected educators.  Take the opportunity to give it a shot.  Tell me if you appreciate it @sjoycetech.

Code.org Class of '14

I did it (I can tell that you are impressed).  After a rigorous day of coding, I'm officially a graduate of the K-12 intro to coding class from code.org. If you are looking for a good starting point with computer coding - this is an excellent series of lessons that are scaffolded in a manner that allows students to continually build off of previously learned skills.  Although code.org states that soon there will be more age specific lessons for coding skills, this is a great place to start with most beginner students.  I would not expect a 3rd grader to be able to complete all of the lessons - as they do get a bit complicated towards the end.  But that is just my opinion - I'd love to be proven wrong.  I think that most intermediate and junior high students would be able to work through the lessons at a frustrational level.  The lessons are a great way to allow students to understand the logical thought process of writing commands, while using a visual interface to put the emphasis on process instead of typing. This is something that would be extremely valuable to commit a small block of time to everyday.  The curriculum is estimated to take 20 hours, but that will vary - as students will have time to work at their own pace.  The link to the curriculum info, along with the class setup info, is found here.  It may be stating the obvious - but you should not start this with your students until you have completed the course yourself.  Please let me know if you would like to pilot this, as I'd love to be involved.  Have fun coding!

Perfectly Put

I had the opportunity to see George Couros speak at the ICE Conference last Friday.  His keynote speech was outstanding (you can check it out here).  One thing that he mentioned has stuck with me for how simple, yet effective it is. I am paraphrasing him here, but essentially he made the point that when you wake up in the morning, you don't think to yourself, "How am I going to use my Smartphone today?".  You just use it when it makes sense to use it.  How we use technology in the classroom should be no different.  It should not feel forced, it should feel natural.

I understand that it is not such a simple task to seamlessly integrate technology throughout the school day. The more we work at it, the easier it will become. Failure is only a step closer to success.

By the way, George is a great twitter follow @gcouros