ED Camp Connecticut

The new year is about to start. Slightly amazing to me. For me I am attending EDCampCT in Simsbury this morning. This the second time in three years I have signed up. It would be more but they have only been around 3 years.  I need to run off to choose a first session!

Games in Education visual

I would like to thank Dawn Leeds for the following visual for "Gamification in Education". This brings in some good questions about what we are doing. Thoughts??

Source: anethicalisland.wordpress.com via Cusi on Pinterest

Board of Education and Social Media - This Tuesday night 6/4

I just read an article about how the Board wants to redefine the relationship teachers have with their students online with, specifically, Social Media sites. There is a discussion  about this tonight and I think we as a school staff need to have our own communication about this. On the other hand this is a bad time time to get any meeting organized. I will try to post what the Board has ruled or when any more meetings about this will be scheduled. Please keep me informed if you hear anything. We need to wrap our minds around what we see as reasonable.

Video (screencast) response to email-

Sometimes a simple e=mail will not do.

I came across a unique way to respond to anyone on the Internet. If you do not want to write a response to an email you can shoot a screen cast of your self. I am not lightning fast at typing. My students and own children would not even raise my pecking to even that level. That said, a screen-cast on Jing could explain many visual ideas that text simply might not cover.  For example:

http://screencast.com/t/LaZ3VGPb This responds to a student who had a problem with finding information on my web site.

Link for Jing http://www.techsmith.com/jing.html (it is not at Jing.com).


Jing is a free down load. So create a screencast by getting the document/visual you need to work with, then
A. With the cross lines show what you want to screencast.
B. On the menu on the bottom left, choose the video icon.
C. In 3 seconds you start speaking.
D. Stop recording.
E. Hit share
F. The video will come up for you to play, copy the link to you email.

Any image that can be pulled up on your computer can be transmitted to a student, parent, or administrator.

Again, if you have any questions, or need to correct anything I have done, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Nine Characteristics of 21st Century Learning...To Get You thinking About It

9 Characteristics of 21st Century Learning

9 Characteristics Of 21st Century Learning

1. Learner-centered  (AKA Student Centered) 

2. Media-driven (this doesn’t have to mean digital media)

3. Personalized

4. Transfer-by-Design

5. Visibly Relevant

6. Data-Rich

7. Adaptable

8. Interdependent

9. Diverse 

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)...It is Already Here...Educators Need to Learn to Leverage It

BYOD: Links to Resources

Click on the Above Link.

NEASC...School Excellence ...Rubrics....Student Centered Learning....21st Century Learning Expectations...SEED...PBIS...CAPT...so many acronyms...so much technology...so little time...

Every student has a smart phone which means they have a computer in their hand, we (teachers) need to figure out how to use it THE RIGHT WAY with your permission and with your classroom IT business rules....this will take us out of our comfort zone, but we need to figure this out. The above link should help somewhat.... 

To remain relevant and ahead of the power curve you have to jump into the "deep end of Education Information Technology pool". In order for our students to learn 21st Century Learning Expectations they will need to be able to use the ever evolving  Educational Information Technologies (EdIT) that supports this. These students will need Teachers who know how and understand how to use many of these EdIT resources...that is why Peter started McMahon Tech blog to help get you started...

Come on in,  the water is fine...Click on some posts and some links I dare you.... 

I know this not a Tech post but Congratulations to Alex Meli for getting married today!