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Tech Integration Ideas for Elementary Schools

February 15, 2012
by Brad Flickinger
0 comments

Atomic Learning now Offers Certificates of Completion

#edtech

In our world of education, most teachers continue to educate themselves so that they can keep up on the ever-changing life as educators. Some things we get a little credit for and others we just do quietly behind the scenes. So it is nice when a company comes along and gives us a little credit where credit is done. Atomic Learning now offers Certificates of Completion for some of their courses.

Here is a link to a video that explains it:

http://www.atomiclearning.com/k12/movie/90567/play_window?type=Tutorial&sid=2218

Here is a quote from their blog:

Atomic Learning now offers Certificates of Completion for individuals completing a full tutorial series or training assignment.

Each certificate provides a summary of the time an individual has dedicated to self-improvement and is a great tool to:

 

  • Track Professional Development Hours
  • Build a Skills Portfolio
  • Create an Evidence of Learning Repository
  • Earn Recognition Among Peers

Learn more about Certificates of Completion in this overview video.  And, don’t miss your chance to win a $500 Amazon.com gift card! Check out the details of this exciting contest for certificates earned between February 15 – March 15, 2012 on this flyer.

- Brad Flickinger, Tech Teacher, Bethke Elementary School

February 14, 2012
by Brad Flickinger
0 comments

Amazing photos of elementary students using iPods for school projects.

#edtech #mlearning #elemchat

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I just uploaded a set of new photos of elementary students using iPods for amazing school projects.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/56155476@N08/sets/72157629306333243/

- Brad Flickinger, Tech Teacher, Bethke Elementary

February 9, 2012
by Brad Flickinger
4 Comments

Educational Technology Bill of Rights for Students Part II

#edtech #mlearning #edchat

Wow! I must have hit a nerve with educators when I wrote my first draft of the Education Technology Bill of Rights for Students last month.

http://www.schooltechnology.org/2011/12/29/educational-technology-bill-of-rights-for-students/

student_ipad_school - 168

I got a boat load of emails (about 90% positive and 10% negative), and based those emails I would like to add these to the original:

11) I have the right to use the cloud. I hate to save things on the school’s server, especially since I cannot get to it from home. In the world I live in I can access my files from any computer from anywhere, that’s why I love the cloud. Which is why I get so mad when DropBox and others things like that are blocked. And no, I will not save it to a flashdrive. I’m a kid, I lose, break, wash, etc. flashdrives like nobody’s business. Oh, and by the way, I love Google Docs and hate MS Word. Just to be clear. There is a bad side to cloud computing — I can’t really tell you that I left that file at home or that the file I made a home is not compatible with the school’s computer. Which has been a great excuse for forgotten work for years.

12) I have the right to use alternative forms of data entry. For example if I want to use my thumbs to enter in my essay — don’t freak out. My thumbs can handle it. Or if I want to dictate my essay to my device — that should be okay too. The world is not going to end because I don’t hand-write my rough draft. I still believe in nice handwriting, but cursive is dead, so quit trying to kick this dead horse back to life.

13) I have the right to use apps that cost money. Don’t tell me to, or make me use only cheesy free apps, when a $2 app will do a 1000 times better of a job for a project I am working on. We don’t have to only use only free stuff (I know some are good). Because when I listen to you tell me to use only free apps when I have a $5 Starbucks in my hand, it seems sort of silly. I can handle a $2 or $3 app.

So here are another three, keep the ideas coming.

- Brad Flickinger, Bethke Elementary School

 

February 8, 2012
by Brad Flickinger
1 Comment

Flipping your classroom starts with screen recording.

#edtech

 

Like many of you I have started to consider the idea of flipping my classroom. But in order to do it right you need to become a master at screen recording, and to do that if you are on a PC the go-to program is Camtasia. So imagine my delight when I found out that the folks over at Atomic Learning recently updated their Camtasia training series. It’s like those guys in Little Falls are reading my mind — freaky.

Here’s their description:

Empower your training by easily creating effective videos using Camtasia 1.2. In this online training series, you’ll learn how to precisely edit screencasts by cutting, splicing, adding transitions, and captions. Also learn how to record PowerPoint® presentations, Web sites, Web cams, and software demos. Learn how to produce your video in many formats to share on video hosting sites such as YouTube™.

– Brad Flickinger, tech teacher, Bethke Elementary School

 

February 3, 2012
by Brad Flickinger
1 Comment

Teaching Kids with iPads – Part 4 of 5

#edchat #mlearning #ipaded

Some times when I am speaking at a conference about iPads in education teachers will share a concern that they have about every student getting an iPad. They are worried than the students will just work in isolation and our society will become even more fractured and self-centered with students never learning to work together.

They imagine a room full of kids with headphones on just plugged into their iPads like a room full of zombies. I had this same concern when I started to design my lessons that used iPads. I made sure that most of the lessons involved team work and collaboration (a 21st century skill).

Take a look at these photos for proof.

February 3, 2012
by Brad Flickinger
0 comments

iPad vs. Laptops Part 2: External Keyboards or Not?

 #edchat #mlearning #ipaded #ipad

Ah, the iPad and external keyboard controversy.

This has been brewing since the iPad was launched. In one corner we have purists who see the iPad as a tablet and they like the simple, clean look with no additives. In the other corner, we have the I-want-my-iPad-to-be-a-laptop crowd, who purchase an external keyboard case the same day they buy their iPad.

As you might have guessed it, I belong to the first group. Here I sit in a Starbucks writing this on my iPad using iA Writer (a bare-bones writing app) enjoying an oatmeal cookie while I wait for my hotter-than-lava peppermint tea to cool. Doing all of this with no keyboard. I have come to love the onscreen keyboard. Sure, I only type with two fingers again (I am a quick typist on a real keyboard using all ten fingers), but I am pretty quick.

As with everything there is a trade off, I trade the speed of a real keyboard for the size and weight of my iPad. I don’t even carry a man-purse for it, it is just me and my iPad. I used to have an iPad bag that had all sorts of paraphernalia in it, but I never used any of it. And I have two external keyboards I thought I would use, but don’t, sitting on a shelf back in my office. Neither of my kids will use keyboard with their iPads.

The title of this post is iPad vs. laptops, not “how to turn your iPad into a laptop.” So stop trying to do it. Give the onscreen keyboard a good try (like two months), put away your man-purse and go lean and mean — just you and your iPad. A little scary, I know, but I do it all the time. The first time I flew to a convention to speak with just my iPad freaked me out, but everything went fine. Lean and mean.

-Brad Flickinger, Tech Teacher, Bethke Elementary School

 

 

February 3, 2012
by Brad Flickinger
6 Comments

My First Book made with iBook Author now for sale

#edtech #edchat #mlearning #ipaded

Look! My first iBook Author book is in the iBook store!

Yesterday afternoon when I got home from teaching I had my son check the iBooks store on his iPad and my book was there!

I immediately made him buy it. Sweet, I just made $1.40 from my son.

Although I have another book already in the iBooks store, this was the first one I made with iBook Author and published myself. What a great feeling. Now all I need are customers and reviews, so crack open your wallets, all you blog readers and spend $1.99 on my screenplay for kids (come on – help a teacher out). Here is a link to my book:

The Attack of Robokid

Don’t forget to go back and give it a glowing review ;) .

- Brad Flickinger, Tech Teacher (and now iBook author), Bethke Elementary School

One thing to note: yesterday I could not get it to display information about the book, but this morning it did. So it looks like my book made it into the iBook store within 36 hours of me uploading it. Not bad Apple.

February 2, 2012
by Brad Flickinger
0 comments

One Step Closer to My First Book on iBooks Using iBook Author

#edtech #ipaded #appleed

Working in iBook Author on my book.

A few days after Apple announced their new style of digital textbooks and their new iBook Author app that allows anyone to make their own iBooks, I gave it a try and had my first book ready to publish in 20 minutes (using pre-written content — obviously).

However, when I clicked “Publish” that was when I hit the iBooks-wall. I then had to apply to get my iTunes Connect account (this happened on January 23). I kept checking my email, but nothing — finally, just out of frustration, I tried to log into iTunes Connect account and it allowed me in (February 1)! So it turned out I was approved. I then filled in my legal and banking info for taxes and stuff, downloaded iTunes Publisher (who knew?), went and got an ISBN for my book and then I could finally go to iBook Author and click “Publish,” and it worked! I filled in the details and SHAZAM! it is now in the que for quality review and soon (don’t know how long) it will be in the iBook Store.

I’ll keep you posted and let you know when it gets into the iBook Store. Then you can buy a copy to support my teaching habit.

- Brad Flickinger, Tech Teacher, Bethke Elementary School

Update: By 3:00 PM today I checked my iTunes Connect account and it says that my book is in iBooks, but when I checked with my iPad I still couldn’t see it.