Posts Tagged "Few Minutes"

Why my school uses Atomic Learning – reason 46

Posted by on Feb 12, 2013 in school technology | 0 comments

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#edtech #edchat #atomiclearning

They’re always fresh, never stale.

With education reform being such a hot-button topic in our country, us edtech people are being constantly sucked into the mix of reform ideas. Which is why I need to up-to-date on all the latest tech trends and ideas.

I don’t know where they have their crystal ball tucked away in their Little Falls offices, but they seem to be ahead of the curve with these new emerging edtech ideas. The other day I needed a case study on a district using PD to implement and differentiate tech instruction, sure enough they had one. http://al.atomiclearning.com/methacton

You can see for the attached photo of the front page dashboard that they cover everything from tech and the Common Core Standards to mobile learning.

Now all I need is a few minutes with their crystal ball to see about tech recommendation that is due on my principal’s desk this Friday.

- Brad Flickinger, tech teacher, Bethke Elementary

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Solving the Mysteries of Creative Commons

Posted by on Feb 29, 2012 in school technology | 0 comments

#edtech #edchat

With more and more of my student’s work being put online — I thought is was about time to get to the bottom of Creative Commons. My superficial understanding was that is was a mutually agreed upon license that helped to bring some legitimacy to using others works (pictures, videos, writings, music, etc.) that can be found online.

Naturally, my first stop was my Atomic Learning account and I was pleased to find an entire workshop on the subject. The nice thing about Atomic Learning workshops is that you do not need to sit through a lot of stuff you don’t need just to find the few things you do. For example, with the Creative Commons Workshop there are over 53 minutes of lessons. I found what I needed to know by watching less than 10 minutes. I just looked for the titles of lessons that I needed.

Creative Commons Workshop

A few minutes later I was on my Flickr account changing the Creative Commons licence setting to more reflect what I actually wanted — now that I am an expert on the subject.

- Brad Flickinger, Tech Teacher, Bethke Elementary School

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Teaching Young Students to use Technology Responsibly

Posted by on Feb 23, 2012 in school technology | 8 comments

#edtech #edchat #mlearning 
 

We need to prepare our students to act responsibly when the moment of stupidity arrives. We should not just hand students technology and expect them to use it responsibly. They are kids after all.

Here is a fictitious story to show my point: imagine three fifth grade students check out a Flip video camera to work on a class project during lunch recess. They want to show the principle of an arc by showing a student swinging on a swing. So here the three of them are out on the playground using their “21st Century Skills” to make an awesome little video that will help their classmates learn a new concept. The teacher back inside eating her lunch could not be prouder — she incorporates tech into her lessons.
 
The shots get made and the three budding filmmakers go back to their regular recess play, with the Flip video camera tucked safely into one of their pockets.
 
However, a few minutes later a classmate slips in some hidden mud on the playground and she is now covered down her side in mud and crying, her pretty new jeans and jacket wrecked.
 
Grasping at the moment of opportunity, the one student with the Flip video camera starts to film the misfortune of his classmate. The mud covered girl runs inside to her teacher sobbing and humiliated. Minutes later the boy with the camera has a crowd around him as he replays the scene over and over again of the muddy girl for those who might have missed it. All the while commenting how he can’t wait to get it on YouTube.
 
You can now imagine the scene over the next few hours: parents and students in the principal’s office. “What were you thinking?” being said by parents, teachers, and administrators. And a young girl who never wants to come back to school. I think you get the picture.
 
How could something like this happen? What would make normally good students do something so bad?
 
Conditioning.
 
For years our children have been conditioned that if you really want to be popular with video (most views) then you need to show something embarrassing or rude. YouTube is full of these types of videos and there are even TV shows dedicated to this genre. I believe that part of teaching students how to use technology is to teach them how to use it responsibly. This goes for everything from blogging to video sharing. Aren’t we all sick of people making rude comments on blogs and news stories? Don’t get me wrong, I like a funny video just like the next person, but as we teach our students at our school; something is only funny if everyone involved thinks it is funny. We need to teach students that quality work can be popular too.
 
Sure there are Hollywood movies that are funny and rude and make a killing at the box office. But the movies that really move us and change us for the better are the really great movies. Funny is easy, but quality is hard. Our students can do quality work, we just need to teach them how and then expect them to do it.
 
Now back to the story fo the three fifth grade filmmaker. What can be done to prevent things like this happening in your school?
 
Here at Bethke Elementary students can only use technology without direct supervision of their teacher if they have a BETHKE STUDENT TECH PERMIT. I know it sounds very formal, but it is an easy to use document that helps to remind students to use tech responsibly. Our staff is trained that if they see a student using tech away from their teacher, they are to ask to see their permit.
 
You can see from the copy of our permit that the student must initial the statements that help them remember to use technology responsibly…
 
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Getting students to be more than just iPad Neanderthals.

Posted by on Dec 23, 2011 in school technology | 0 comments

#edtech #edchat #elemchat

Many educators believe that students already know how to use their iPads, but the truth is that most students only know what I call “The Neanderthal Basics.”

The Neanderthal Basics when it comes to students on iPads are:

Game Play: there is no doubt about it students love to play games on these devices — so much so in fact, that they don’t see the potential for all the things that their iPads can do. If they would just close Angry Birds down for a few minutes they could discover all of the great things their iPad can create.

Music and Videos: Every now and then they turn off a game and then they take a step down and just sit back and watch videos or listen to music.

It is time for our students to evolve and start to see what that thin little device in their hands can do.

As you know from my previous posts, I am working hard on my new iPad Boot Camp. I am designing some of the most amazing projects that will push my students to do more with their iPads. Every time I try a new app, and then I adjust it so that it makes an incredible digital artifact I am blown away at what these little tablets can do.

We are also going to cover the basics operations of their iPads — turn them into iPads pros. For this I turned to my friends at Atomic Learning. They have a new series on the iPad (updated for iOS 5) that covers it all.

Many of the parents of the students that I have in the boot camp tell me that they are excited for the kids to come, so that they can learn from their kids how to use iPads themselves.

Today I am breaking down each lesson using the UbD lesson planning method so that I know that my student will get the most out of each project.

Stayed tuned,

-Brad Flickinger, Tech Teacher, Bethke Elementary School

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I have an Interactive White Board now what?

Posted by on Nov 9, 2011 in school technology | 0 comments

#edtech #edchat #elemchat

My computer lab finally came up on the list to get an interactive whiteboard — I know, I know, the computer lab should be the first classroom to get one and not the last one, but that’s how it ended up. I have wanted one for years, but to be honest, I knew that my classroom teachers needed them more than myself so I kept quiet and waited until it was my turn.

The district installers haven’t come by yet so my Smartboard is on a portable cart, but it will do for now.

So as I stood in the middle of my room looking at my new interactive white board, I wondered; “Now what?”

I scratched my head for a few minutes, then I logged into my Atomic Learning account and searched their database of tutorials and came across this workshop…

I have an interactive white board now what?

The tutorials that make up this workshop series will attempt to answer some of the many questions that instructors have about using an interactive whiteboard in their classroom:

  • What types of interactive whiteboards are there and how do they work?
  • What are the benefits of using an interactive whiteboard, both for my students AND for me?
  • How do I get started creating engaging, authentic IWB activities to use in my own classroom?
  • Where can I find communities of educators who are using the same kind of interactive whiteboard that I use?

Whether you have a SMART Board™, Promethean ActivBoard®, Mimio®, Easiteach®, or some other type of device or software application that allows you to build interactivity into a presentation, you should find something of interest in this workshop.  Be sure to download the reference document that accompanies this tutorial series for a list of additional resources, including links to user communities, example activities and lessons, and continuing professional development opportunities related to interactive whiteboard use.

Perfect, and after about 20 minutes of watching the online tutorials and lessons, I had two pages of notes and ideas to apply in my classroom today.

- Brad Flickinger, Tech Teacher, Bethke Elementary School

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