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But there’s a simple way to ensure that students use devices for educational purposes: change the classroom dynamic from lecturing at the front of the room to having no traditional front of the classroom at all. During class, Halla roams around the room helping students with their work, all the while overseeing everything to make sure that they’re staying on task.

“It’s harder to do the negative behaviors when the phones are out and the teacher is walking around,” he says.

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Ensuring it stays academic

Many teachers have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to phones out during class, since they assume-most of the time correctly-that their students are using them to text friends or update their various social media sites. But there's a simple way to ensure that students use devices for educational purposes: change the classroom dynamic from lecturing at the front of the room to having no traditional front of the classroom at all. During class, Halla roams around the room helping students with their work, all the while overseeing everything to make sure that they're staying on task.

"It's harder to do the negative behaviors when the phones are out and the teacher is walking around," he says.

Use smartphones to stay organized and assess learning

A great app for keeping students on top of their work is Remind101, where students voluntarily sign up to receive a text reminder when they have an upcoming assignment due. Not only does it help students better organize their assignments, but it's also engaging parents. Halla says many parents sign up for the app to keep track of their children's homework.

"I was stunned by how many more kids started doing the homework," he says. "I just thought they didn't want to do the work, but it was more that they were unorganized and had forgotten to do it."

Aside from the education-friendly apps now available, Halla has found online resources that can help support classroom productivity and be easily accessed via smartphone.

Halla recommends polleverywhere.com to test students' knowledge of their subject material before an upcoming test. Teachers can set up a question or questions based on what the students are currently learning in class, and then provide them with a text number. Students see the question with several potential answers-usually an A, B, C, D, or E template-and then they'll text in the answer. As the students' answers are compiled, the site creates a graph showing their responses. Polleverywhere.com also costs nothing to use for a survey of 40 or fewer participants.

"It's a good way to see how the students are comprehending the material," Halla says. "For example, if a lot of students are picking option C and B is really the answer, then I can go back and review the material again."

Apps for the social sciences

Halla recommends a number of apps that are perfect for teaching social science courses. There's World Wiki, an app that provides demographic information for almost 250 countries around the world; iAmerica, an app with information about each U.S. President and the history of the White House; U.S. Constitution, so students can have easy access to one of the most important American documents; and many others that are designed to provide students with further classroom support.

Halla has created a list of some of the most useful apps he's found for the classroom, which is available on his blog. While not all apps are available on Android devices, the large majority of them can be accessed on iPhones, iPads, and iPods. Also, before implementing smartphones or iPads into your own classroom, find out which apps are approved for classroom use in your district; and, if you find one you like that isn't on the approved list, consult with your school and district administrators before proceeding

Let fun foster productivity

As a final tip, Halla suggests being open to letting students have some fun with their devices. He was surprised to discover that his students are quieter and more focused on their assignments when they are allowed to listen to their music during individual classwork-provided they use headphones and the music is not too loud to distract their classmates.

"It's amazing," he says. "The noise level in the classroom goes down, and the work amount goes up when you let them listen to their music."

Halla asks students to only use sites that streams music. That way, they can stay focused on their work without the distracting need to find a new song every few minutes.

And when it comes time to get back to classroom instruction, Halla simply has the students remove their earbuds, put down their phones, and focus on what he's teaching. After all, not all learning can be done digitally-but Halla says that teachers have to adapt to the changing times and find a way to successfully incorporate these devices into their own classrooms.

"I've always been that type of person who likes to adapt and change as time goes on," says Halla. "Otherwise, I wouldn't still be teaching this many years down the road."

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Using Smartphones in the Classroom | NEA

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Many teachers have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to phones out during class, since they assume-most of the time correctly-that their students are using them to text friends or update their various social media sites.

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Levels of Technology Integration

Mary Beth Hertz shares four levels of classroom technology integration she has observed in schools:

1. Sparse: Technology is rarely used or available. Students rarely use technology to complete assignments or projects.

2. Basic: Technology is used or available occasionally/often in a lab rather than the classroom. Students are comfortable with one or two tools and sometimes use these tools to create projects that show understanding of content.

3. Comfortable: Technology is used in the classroom on a fairly regular basis. Students are comfortable with a variety of tools and often use these tools to create projects that show understanding of content.

4. Seamless: Students employ technology daily in the classroom using a variety of tools to complete assignments and create projects that show a deep understanding of content.

"What Is Successful Technology Integration?" Edutopia. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Aug. 2015.

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The ISTE Standards also share with the Common Core an emphasis on using technology — not for technology’s sake, but as a tool for leap-frogging over lower-order thinking skills, such as rote memorization, to focus our energies on research and media literacy, creativity, collaboration, problem solving, and critical thinking.

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classroom management strategy of being aware of what your students are doing (two eyes) and moving frequently throughout the room (with your two feet)

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This video is to help parents understand how student-owned devices can be used in the classroom for instructional purposes.

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Kahoot! | Learning games | Make learning awesome!

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Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform that brings engagement and fun to 1+ billion players every year at school, at work, and at home.

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Wanna flip? Math class is logical place to start

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Wanna flip? Math class is logical place to start

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So you want to try flipped learning but don't know where to begin? One subject that lends itself well to the adjusted pace and additional practice time that flipping offers is math.

In fact, one expert calls flipping math "the world's biggest no-brainer."

"The math classroom is the best place to start flipping. It really, really works here," says Aaron Sams, who, along with Jon Bergmann, has co-authored a series of books for ISTE on flipped learning, including their latest, Flipped Learning for Math Instruction.

Many educators' first foray into flipped learning - where students watch the lecture on a video and do the practice in class - is, in fact, the elementary math classroom where time to cover all of the how to's and control of pace are crucial. "There's lots of one-on-one assistance from teacher to student," Sams says, "so there's time for kids to do math with more support."

After all, math is a subject that calls for sequential learning and lots of practice. If students can watch a video lesson at home, class time can be spent on practice problems with help from the teacher.

Sams says he's discovered a golden ratio for flipping math that can guide how classroom time is used. "The sweet spot is 70 percent math practice and 30 percent project-based learning or a creative option."

This ratio also addresses the concerns teachers express about not having enough time for such learning pursuits. "They (teachers) hear about labs or simulations in flipped science classrooms and they feel guilty that they aren't doing more projects or creative things." Flip math and lose the guilt, Sams advises.

Potential pitfalls

Despite the no-brainer nature of flipping the math classroom, there are pitfalls to avoid - the biggest being allowing your new-found approach to get stuck in a rut.

Your instinct might be to deliver the lecture on a video for students to watch at home and then have students complete worksheets during class time and then take an assessment. Beware the video, worksheet, test routine, Sams warns.

"Explore other pedagogical options and keep a balance," he suggests. This could include reinventing lessons, using class time for PBL or giving time back to students to work on math-related concepts they can research on their own.

Sams interviewed one teacher who offered students a genius hour on Fridays during which they learned things like coding and how to solder electronic components.

Impact on achievement

Flipping math class may seem natural, but does it advance student learning? Sams says teachers' experiences provide the proof.

Consider the work of a group of math teachers in Byron High School in Byron, Minnesota. They compared math classrooms where traditional, flipped learning and flipped learning plus peer instruction took place. The flipped classroom had a slight increase in exam scores and the classroom that took the flipped approach and added peer instruction saw significant gains.

And students and teachers in the two types of flipped classrooms said they were happier with the course overall.

Another benefit - students say they have less anxiety about math class because they have access to the support they need during class time and aren't sent home with work they are unable to complete.

Tips for getting started

If you're a teacher who's gotten up the gumption to flip math, Sams has three tips to get started:

Figure out your toolkit. There are lots of resources for those ready to flip and they generally fall into four categories: how to make a video, where to put it, how to build in interactivity and using a learning management system (LMS). Find out what tools you want to use and put them to work early on.

Figure out your workflow. Flipping requires a lot of up-front time creating videos and adjusting habits. Be sure to have strong lesson plans in place and leave time to create content (videos) and put them into your LMS.

Have a plan and stick to it. There may be pushback to the change. Prep students and parents for your adoption of flipped learning. Tell them how class will work, where the resources are and assure them that you are still teaching their child.

"And don't bail out when it gets hard. Once you're over the activation energy, every teacher I speak to says they could never go back because they can do things in their classrooms that were the reasons they got into teaching in the first place," Sams assures. "It reinvigorates teachers."

Learn more about how to infuse flipped learning and technology into the math classroom with Bergmann's and Sams' new guidebook, Flipped Learning for Math Instruction.

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Wanna flip? Math class is logical place to start

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So you want to try flipped learning but don't know where to begin? One subject that lends itself well to the adjusted pace and additional practice time that flipping offers is math. In fact, one expert calls flipping math "the world's biggest no-brainer." "The math classroom is the best place to start flipping.

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Teach Toddlers Colors Numbers Preschool Race Cars & Magnet Truck

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Explore Matific's library of hundreds of interactive and playful activities, called "episodes". Discover the award winning pedagogy that earned Matific the endorsement of teachers worldwide.

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TEN IDEAS FOR USING INSTAGRAM IN THE CLASSROOM

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TEN IDEAS FOR USING INSTAGRAM IN THE CLASSROOM

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10 Surprising Ways to Use Instagram in the Classroom

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10 Surprising Ways to Use Instagram in the Classroom

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This week, I took my students to Chinatown on a field trip to complement our Joy Luck Club unit and their study of China in their global studies course. I wanted to design a fun and engaging activity to pique their interest and inspire them to think more deeply about what they were seeing and hearing.

I decided on an Instagram scavenger hunt! Why not?!? Instagram is emerging as the newest way students connect socially. That said, I was a bit of an Instagram neophyte, so I asked a student to give me a tutorial!
Here is what I learned...
Step 1: Create a list of things you want students to find and document on photo using Instagram. I used my "Notes" app on my iPhone to create my list of 20 items that I challenged students to find on our docent led tour of Chinatown. Then I took a screen shot of my list on my phone.

Helpful hint for iPhone users: To take a screenshot on your iPhone "press the Home and Sleep buttons at the same time. On 2.0, the screen will flash white, while with 2.1, you'll also get the camera shutter sound, and your screen will be captured."

Step 2: Create a public account for your school use. This is an account that will be viewable to the world, so it is an account you want to limit to school photos and ensure that you get photo release consent from students if you plan to use these photos.

Step 3: Share your account name and unique hashtag with students and ask them to tag you in their scavengerhunt photos and tag it with your unique hashtag. Your hashtag can be long but once it is entered, it will pop up automatically when students tag the next photo.

Step 4: Encourage students to include any information they learn about this particular item on the scavenger hunt. Get them thinking deeply and having fun!

Step 5: Click the hashtag under any photo and see all the photos your students have posted for your scavenger hunt. They can comment and like each other's photos which allows them to interact socially during the field trip.

Tip: Remind students who have a "private" account, to make their account public for the day or create a new public account they can use for the day.

For anyone who wants a great tutorial on how to use Instagram, check out this site with explanations and photos!

Have fun! It is a super simple fun way to engage with kids using technology many of them already use and enjoy.
*Going to ISTE? Check out my 1/2 day workshop: "Blended Learning: Exploring Tools, Techniques & Resources."
This entry was posted in Learning. Bookmark the permalink.

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This week, I took my students to Chinatown on a field trip to complement our Joy Luck Club unit and their study of China in their global studies course. I wanted to design a fun and engaging activity to pique

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10+ Ideas for Using Cell Phones with Young Learners

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20 Things You Can Do with Google Classroom

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20 Things You Can Do with Google Classroom

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Google Classroom ( http://classroom.google.com) is available to schools with a Google Apps for Education (GAfE) domain. Classroom is a way to get all of your students in one place and allows you to easily assign work and for students to turn it in. Book: " 50 Things You Can Do With Google Classroom" now available on Amazon. For a tour of Google Classroom visit 50thingsbook.com.

20 Things You Can Do With Google Classroom

1. Sharing Resources: Google Classroom allows you to take a document, video or link and push it out to your students.

2. Create a Lesson: More than simply assigning work to students, Google Classroom allows you to build an assignment. Include a description and attach multiple documents, links and videos. This puts the entire lesson in one place.

3. Make Class Announcements: Google Classroom gives you a place to post your announcements. Unlike a website with one way communication, students can comment back on the announcement.

4. Go Paperless: Using Google Docs you no longer need to collect and pass out paper. You can assign students a blank Google Doc or use a template that your students will fill out. Google Classroom creates a copy for each student and gives them a turn in button for when they are done.

5. Simplify the Turn In Process: When using Google Documents, notoriously students forget to change the sharing settings or to turn in their work. Google Classroom eliminates this issue by placing the document in the teacher and the students Google Drive immediately. Students simply need to "turn in" within Google Classroom to signal the teacher they are ready to have their work assessed.

6. Protect Privacy: Rather than creating a global folder shared with all of the students in the class, Google Classroom restricts access to the documents to the teacher and the individual student.

7. Reduce Cheating: Since the entire classes documents are not in a shared folder the temptation to copy another students work is eliminated.

8. Classroom Collaboration: When sharing a document the teacher is able to choose if the students can view the document or can edit it. Creating a document and giving all the students in the class editing access to that same document allows every student to contribute their piece to a class project.

9. Create a Discussion: A spreadsheet can be utilized to collect student opinions on a discussion topic. The ability to have multiple tabs allows for multiple discussion questions. Sharing a single Google spreadsheet with student editing access gets everyone on the same page quickly and gives every student a voice in the discussion.

10. Organize Assignments with Due Dates: In creating an assignment in Google Classroom you are able to assign a due date that is clear for both you and the students.

11. Capture the Middle of the Process: An important shift in the teacher student relationship is to get away from evaluator and focus on being a coach to your students. Google Classroom places all of the students work into a folder that is easily accessible from your Google Drive. While students are in the middle of working on their assignment you are able to go in and insert comments and guide them through the process.

12. Email Students: No longer do you need to create a group of student email addresses, Google Classroom allows you to email everyone at once.

13. Notify Students Who May Need Help: Google Classroom show you who has and has not completed an assignment. Send an email notification providing tips for success and encouraging the student to work on the assignment.

14. Assignment Q&A: When an assignment is posted to Google Classroom the students have the ability to comment on it. No longer do students have to wait to be called on to ask a question. This transcends the walls of the classroom to allow students to ask questions outside of class. When the teacher posts the response it is available to all of the students.

15. Create an Ad Hoc Playlist: Google Classroom allows you to attach multiple YouTube videos to an announcement or assignment.

16. Email Feedback: When returning work to students you can provide a global note to all the students or individually provide feedback. Google Classroom provides the ability to post a note to the assignment from the teacher, and allow the student to comment back. This replaces the one sided note in the margin of the students paper, providing a more dynamic experience.

17. Create Folders: What was once a cumbersome process in Google Drive is now done automatically. The teacher has a folder in Google Drive that contains a folder for each assignment. This makes locating student work a snap!

18. Link Directly: While Google Classroom places the student work into a folder for the teacher to find, a student list with a link to the students work is easily accessible directly from Google Classroom. This reduces the need of the teacher to dig through their Google Drive to find the work a student has completed.

19. Multiple Files in an Assignment: Google Classroom allows you to assign more than a single document. This means students can create a multi-stage project and submit all of their pieces in one place.

20. Easily View Student Submission: Google Classroom clearly counts how many students have and have not submitted an assignment.

Link to my follow up blog post: 15 MORE things you can do with Google Classroom.

Link to my follow up blog post: 10 additional things you can do with Google Classroom.
Thank you to Sean Junkins for creating a nice poster infographic based on this blog post. Click on the image to enlarge and print.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2015-2016

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20 Things You Can Do With Google Classroom - Teacher Tech

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Google Classroom ( http://classroom.google.com) is available to schools with a Google Apps for Education (GAfE) domain. Classroom is a way to get all of your students in one place and allows you to easily assign work and for students to turn it in. Book: " 50 Things You Can Do With Google Classroom" now available on Amazon.

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My name is Eric, I like to play sports. I play soccer and basketball. I play soccer for the San Bruno Ravens and I play basketball for my school, Holy Angels School.My favorite colors are red and blue. I am always trying to do my best in school and I get pretty good grades.

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Casco Bay High School And King Middle School | Edutopia

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Two schools in Maine are transforming the learning process with technology-infused projects that benefit the community and promote high academic achievement.

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33 Interesting Ways to Use Mobile Phones in the Classroom

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33 Interesting Ways to Use Mobile Phones in the Classroom

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BYOD (bring your own device) is where you allow your students and staff to use personal mobile devices on your school wireless network. I'm sure you've heard of it, because it's spreading through schools faster than juicy gossip in a tiny town. Now, there's a lot to consider when determining if implementing BYOD in schools is the right move. So, here's a list of 20 pros and cons to hopefully help make the decision a little easier on you.

Pros of BYOD

1.) Students are already familiar and comfortable using their own technology so they can focus on actually learning with them than learning how to use the device.

2.) Students' personal mobile devices tend to be more cutting-edge, so schools can more easily stay up-to-date with technology..

3.) Students are more likely to have remembered their beloved mobile devices than textbooks or notes.

4.) It's a cost-effective way to save schools money on technology.

5.) With BYOD students are more likely to continue learning outside of schools hours.

6.) When students use their own devices, they take care of their own 'training.'

7.) BYOD provides opportunity for teaching respectful/appropriate use, which will be important in properly preparing them for the future.

8.) Students will be more organized with all their notes and assignments all in one place.

9.) Gives the students limitless access to information and resources.

10.) BYOD allows student & teacher to swap roles.

11.) Teachers can use certain apps to be more connected with students and parents than ever before.

12.) Students love technology so BYOD engages students and creates enthusiasm and excitement about learning.
Also Read | "1:1 or BYOD? Which is Better for Your School? [Infographic]"
13.) If students bring their own devices to school, schools can concentrate funding on the students who need it, maybe providing an iPad leasing program.

14.) BYOD allows more opportunities for more personalized learning where students can excel at their own pace.

15.) Students take control of ensuring that their device is working, instilling a sense of responsibility.

16.) BYOD offers a way of delivering ebooks.

17.) There are loads of cool and exciting educational apps to get students excited about learning.

18.) The majority of students and adults already own the devices necessary for BYOD.

19.) Students can use the device they have chosen to complete their tasks so they are more likely to do them.

20.) BYOD can be used as a privilege to encourage students to stay on task.

Cons of BYOD

1.) All these mobile devices can overload your wireless network.

2.) It possibly opens up the opportunity for cheating.

3.) Technology may become a status symbol for students causing the divide between the haves and have not's to be even greater.

4.) Parents may not be happy with the idea of paying for mobile devices for use in school.

5.) Students may be more easily distracted while working on their own mobile devices.

6.) Students might forget to charge their devices.

7.) Students bringing in their own devices to school may increase the possibility of theft.

8.) Students may not be able to afford these devices.

9.) What if a student brings a virus from home onto the school wireless network?
Also Read | "How to Plan a BYOD Security Policy for Schools"
10.) It can be more challenging for an IT department to manage the bandwidth required to ensure all devices are connected and running smoothly.

11.) Students forget to bring their mobile devices.

12.) Applications may not be universal across all platforms.

13.) Your wireless network infrastructure may need to be addressed before implementation.

14.) Just like some of the parents, some of the students may not to mix in school work on their personal mobile devices.

15.) Some teacher may resist teaching with technology.

Okay, I know I said I would give you 20 but I honestly can't think of any more cons at the moment.

So we have 20 pros and 15 cons...looks like the pros for BYOD in schools are beating out the cons here. Even with all 15 of these cons, I still think a lot of the pros hold a lot more value and therefor out weight most of the cons of BYOD anyways. Plus, many of these cons can be avoided or fixed with certain policies, apps, the correct network infrastructure, and mobile device management.

If you have any questions about BYOD implementation and whether or not allowing it is the right move for your school, contact us here. We have helped schools all over the Unites States implement BYOD on their school wireless networks and are always more than happy to answer any of your questions. Good luck!

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20 Pros and Cons of implementing BYOD in schools

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BYOD (bring your own device) is where you allow your students and staff to use personal mobile devices on your school wireless network. I'm sure you've heard of it, because it's spreading through schools faster than juicy gossip in a tiny town.

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https://www.edmodocon.com

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EdmodoCon is a free, live online global event where educators from around the world connect with each other to share how they're using Edmodo and other digital tools to personalize learning. The educational professional development event of the year, EdmodoCon will help you collaborate with other teachers, discover valuable new resources, and harness the power of edtech in your classroom..