Tech Across the Curriculum

As September draws near, I am not teaching an educational technology course, but that doesn't mean I'm not using tech.  I am a true believer in tech integration across the curriculum.

Here are some of the ways I'll be using tech :

1) All course materials are on a Google Site.

2) A variety of Google Apps including:

3) Excited to add Google Communities to the mix for sharing and discussion:

4) Dropbox as a cloud storage option, though Google Docs is emphasized for sharing work in-progress for peer and instructor commenting.

5) For assistance in archiving scholarly research articles, we'll use,

with an emphasis on using Chrome as a browser and adding the Diigo extension for quick bookmarking, annotating, and organizing sources by categories.

6) For the adventuresome, explore other archiving and organizing apps like: 

7) For tutorial screencasts, my go-to is Camtasia, shared via YouTube and inserted on the course Google Site. And Jing, another TechSmith favorite, for screen captures with annotations. Here's a screencast for introducing how to access the university's online databases from off-campus.

8) To add entertainment: apps like PowToon and GoAnimate. Here's one Powtoon created last time I taught the course and used to announce the set up for the final class.

9) Easy apps like Animoto, as seen in this recap of the topics students selected for their research proposals.

9) YouTube offers a wealth of entertaining videos to spice up the course and break down difficult textbook concepts. Two examples follow, one created with a much-missed app, XtraNormal, but the original is still on YouTube.

And I just found this one on YouTube that uses Powtoon:




When class time is tight, my Playlist on YouTube is handy for finding what I need and resorting to the "flipped classroom model." The videos will be posted in the class Google Community for viewing and discussion beyond class time.

10) A tool like TodaysMeet introduces the possibility of backchanneling during a class presentation.

11) For those students who can't make a class or to bring a guest speaker in, Google Hangouts will enable online conferencing. Hangouts will also work for online office hours.

What tools do you use for conducting educational research? What videos have you found on YouTube or other video or presentation sites that work in an educational research course?

Can Teachers Avoid Digital Resources?

In a recent national survey of teachers, conducted by PBS Learning Media, it was found that a high percentage use digital media regularly in their teaching. The landscape of the classroom has changed from the old days of a reliance on printed books and students writing on paper. The following infographic shows the results of the survey.  Review the infographic. Where do you stand?

Do you agree educational technology motivates students?
What do you see as the benefits of educational technology?
What are the tech tools you use most often?
Consider other data available in the infographic. What is your reaction?

image Image via iStockphoto, sturti

On a related note, the House of Representatives is reviewing a bill to increase access to technology in schools and teachers' professional development in this area.  On Feb. 6, 2013, the International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE) posted this information: "Great Start for Digital Learning Policy in 113th Congress: Comprehensive Technology Bill Introduced in U.S. House of Representatives."

Overall, how do you feel about the influx of technology resources in the educational setting? Would you rather see the pace slow down, speed up, or go in another direction?

The Writing Process

Stacy, a 4th grade teacher, in the West Hartford Cohort created this Animoto on the Writing Process as a way to introduce her elementary students to the writing process: "The Writing Process." 
The Animoto video is a helpful way to get discussion going about the research process. Once students view the video, a teacher can then lead them through a discussion of how what they watched will apply to their upcoming project. Look at the video, and then think of ways in which you can use Animoto to introduce an upcoming project in your class. Share your ideas by leaving a comment.

Click on the picture or the hyperlink below it to access the video at the Animoto site.

The Writing Process