Dropbox

Many of you may already be using this tool, but for those of you who aren't, consider trying Dropbox. This is a cloud based storage folder that works on several different platforms. You can download the program and create an account for the service. The greatest thing is that it is completely free! Once you download the program you can put pictures, folders, files, music, video, etc into the Dropbox icon. After dragging the files into the Dropbox you can then access them from any device you have installed the program onto. For instance, if you write a paper on your laptop and need to access it on the go, simply download Dropbox to your smartphone and as simple as that you will have access to that file from the phone. You can also use Dropbox on tablets and any other smart media device with the right requirements. Get Dropbox at the following link: Dropbox.

What can a tablet do for you?

As we begin to see more and more tablets arrive in the market, it is important to try and see the potential of the devices in education. Apple has already done a great job getting into the field as they have developed a ton of great apps and devices to help out with teaching and learning in the classroom.  A quick trip to the app store and you can find a great educational app for almost any subject or person. Android tablets are slightly further behind but are definitely beginning to dip their toes in the water a bit in regards to education. The Android market is now starting to provide its users with more and more educational tools. The apps themselves are self explanatory when considering their use in the classroom, but how else can these devices be used to help engage the students and help with student learning and differentiated instruction? One of the main uses for the tablets that is now starting to creep into the classrooms is its replacement of interactive whiteboards. Most tablets can now run a desktop sharing tool, where the teacher can control his or her computer from their tablet. This allows the teacher to remotely access files, pictures, videos, presentations, and other visual aids straight from the tablet. This is  important because the teacher can then project the material onto a wall or screen to help aid in instruction, as long as the host computer is plugged into a projector or large television. This also allows the teacher to always be facing the classroom and providing more one on one attention to his or her students. Another great use for the tablets is to put the technology in the students' hands. It is amazing what students are capable of accomplishing when given the right resources. They can use these tablets to look up information, create projects, and even research. All of this right from their desks in the classroom. Of course this also opens up collaboration opportunities between the students if they all have access to a tablet or computer. Students can share documents with Google docs, they can create videos through a variety of different sources, they can create maps and diagrams, they can participate in backchanneling and the list goes on. Because of all of these opportunities that tablets can give to students and teachers alike, it is definitely worth taking a look at them for your classroom.

The Kinect in Education

The amount of possibilities for a device like the Xbox Kinect in education seems endless. This video does a great job showing the capabilities technologies we have today have for our classrooms.

Educational Technology Podcasts

There are a ton of great resources out there for people who are looking to learn more about educational technologies. Podcasts are one of these resources. If you log on to iTunes and search through their podcasts you will find a ton of good audio and video selections to choose from. If you narrow down the search results to education technology there are several great podcasts. One of my favorites is called "The State of Tech" which can be found through a simple search on iTunes. This podcast provides its audience with a variety of great technology topics and ideas from educational technology people in the state of Ohio. You can also find them at the following website: The State of Tech

Wii Whiteboard?

For those of you out there who are interested in having an interactive whiteboard in your classroom but do not have the funds, consider what a simple Nintendo Wii remote could do for you. With the purchase of a Wii remote, an infrared pen, and the download of some free software, you could have an interactive whiteboard like a SMART Board or Promethean Board at a fraction of the price. Check out the website from the creator of this innovative idea here: Wii Whiteboard. Don't forget to watch the video example above!

Flipped Classrooms

There are a lot of teachers out there who are starting to move over to flipped classrooms. This may not be the type of instruction that works for all teachers, but it would at least be worth a try to see if it works for you. Flipped classrooms are exactly what the title says they are. In a flipped classroom the time meant for homework and activities and the time meant for instruction are flipped. So instead of teaching during the class time and giving homework to do after class, the teacher instead assigns a video taped or recorded lesson for homework and then assigns activities or homework during class.  The teacher can now spend more time helping students with work and participating in engaging discussions rather than spending most of the class period trying to get the information across. Once students get the core knowledge and general background information from the taped lessons, it is far easier for them to complete activities and accomplish tasks in class with the guidance of the teacher and peers. One excellent recording tool that I have found to work very well with the flipped classroom is VoiceThread. This is an interactive and collaborative video making tool that allows you to record yourself, videos, text, and any other information you might find important. After you have completed your video simply give the students the link. The next day you can complete a variety of tasks and activities based on the video you assigned to your students. Following is a link to VoiceThread: VoiceThread

Backchanneling

For those of you out there with computer access for all students, this might be a technology for you. Backchanneling is an awesome tool that, if utilized correctly, can provide great discussion with students. Backchanneling is a tool that teachers can use to start conversation and urge discussion with students. This works particularly well because it allows for the less vocal and shy students to participate as well. This is because backchanneling is a program that documents and shares student response through text sent by a computer. Essentially it is a giant chat room that you can create for your class that you can project onto the wall. Simply guide the students through a discussion, movie, presentation, or activity and watch as responses, questions, and opinions appear on the wall from the students. This works particularly well with schools who have the 1:1 initiative. A backchannelling program that I find to work very well is called TodaysMeet. You simply have to go to the website, input the name of your chat room, provide the name and address to the students, and start the conversation. Following is the link to the website: TodaysMeet. Have fun!

SMART Board, Promethean Board, or Mimio?

As technology progresses in the world we live in and as new ideas continue to develop, it is inevitable that we also see technological advances in our schools. Besides obvious software advances, the schools have also began to see important advances in hardware and tools. One of the most innovative of these new tools is the touchscreen projector like the SMART Board, Promethean Board, and Mimio. Essentially these new touchscreen boards are created to manipulate what is being projected onto the screen with your own hands or physical tools rather than operating the screen from your computer or a presentation remote. This is a great advance in technology because it allows the teacher to stay in front of the students and move around the classroom freely while visiting the board when needed to advance the day's instruction or activities. These screens also allow the students to physically get involved with the material by visiting the board and manipulating the material themselves. In geography a student can come up to the board and fill out or piece together a map that is being projected onto the board. That is only the simplest of tasks that these boards are capable of. If you team these boards up with the right software, the possibilities are endless. The software that comes with the boards is great, but if you combine the boards up with other online software and tools like Glogster EDU, Prezi, Blabberize, Scribble Maps, Vuvox, Voki, Timetoast and the list goes on, then you will really see your classroom come to life. When these programs are used in conjunction with the boards, instruction and activities become very interactive and fun. You can physically click on links, videos, pictures, text, and media with the touch of your finger or pen. The possibilities that come with these boards are almost endless. Imagine the powers of a touchscreen tablet like an iPad or Kindle Fire with the size of a projector screen!

So what is the difference between the SMART Board, Promethean Board, and Mimio besides the name? Well there are a few obvious differences after using and observing all of them. The SMART Board and Promethean Board seem to be the most similar. Both of these boards operate from a large touchscreen machine at the front of the room. This machine is plugged into your computer through a USB. When the computer screen is projected onto the board the machines sense the areas you are touching and manipulating and send the signal back to your computer. The time it takes the computer to recognize your movements on the touchscreen boards is instant. Besides the very close similarities of the SMART Board and Promethean Board in relation to their look and general operation, there are also some differences. The Smart Board is the only machine out of the three that can be operated with just your finger. The board can sense your actual finger and respond to the movements it makes on the board. You can also use provided pens and tools on the screen as well. The Promethean Board can only be manipulated by using a special pen or wand, the board does not sense your actual finger like the SMART Board does. The two machines also come with different software for the devices. The software that comes with the boards are very similar and are designed to essentially replace the PowerPoint. The software also allows you to draw and manipulate the actual images projected on the screen. For example, you can click on a tab or button on either software version and this button allows you to draw on or chart images, pictures, and websites on the computer. The Mimio is slightly different than the two previously talked about boards. The Mimio really is not even a board at all. Rather, the Mimio is a tool that is attached to the already installed whiteboards in the classrooms. Once a projection is directed onto the whiteboard, the device can then be used to manipulate the projection much like the SMART Board and Promethean. The difference though is that you have to use a provided tool that sends a signal to the device attached to the whiteboard, which then sends the signal to the computer. This tool is in the form of a large pen. The pen is a little larger and slightly less comfortable than the other two boards' tools. This pen also makes a slightly distracting buzzing noise when it is being used. If you can put that flaw aside, the device is very effective, especially when taking into consideration that is is cheaper than the other two boards and it is just as useful. When taking all of the boards into consideration you really can not go wrong with any of them. Enjoy! The second picture is of the Mimio and the picture above that is of the SMART Board. The Promethean board looks a lot like the SMART Board but with orange accents.

Word Clouds

Word clouds are web 2.0 technologies that have been around for a long time. Most people tend to use the program Wordle, which in itself is a very good program. You can use this program to take any text and convert it into a word cloud. This cloud makes the most used words in the text larger and the least used words smaller. You can use this to your advantage as a teacher during discussion, activities, and lectures. You simply have to take any text relating to the classroom material, copy it into the website, and then wait as it loads the word cloud. Project the final product onto a screen or wall or print out the picture and use it to guide lessons. A program that I like even better than Wordle that does the same and more is Tagxedo. This program makes word clouds and adds in a ton of extra customization options. You can turn your word cloud into a picture, change the colors, change the arrangement, and even adjust how each of the individual words react to a click. It is a fantastic tool! Following is the link to Tagxedo: Tagxedo. The example word cloud in this post was created by Tagxedo using the words you just read!

Easy website creation!

Wix has proven to be a fantastic resource for me. Wix is a website that allows you to create free and very customizable web pages. The simplicity and quickness of the site is one of its best features. The tools are easy to use and much of the creation utilizes drag and drop customization. This website creator is great for teachers who want to make a quick WebQuest or website and it is also great for teachers who want a stand alone site for all of their classroom information. Following is the link to Wix if you want to try it out: Wix. If you want to view one of my examples check out this WebQuest on  populations that I created for a 7th grade geography class: Population WebQuest.