Apps Apps Apps, Apps!

First, find two or three good apps that you can master and really enhance student learning with. You’ll find that as you begin to use a few apps in class you’ll start to say, “I wish I/we could do X.” And that’s the gateway statement, from that statement you start your app search for the next app to integrate into your classroom. I highly recommend that you don’t limit yourself to the apps labeled education or the apps that are in the educational categories. Keep your searches open to all categories, you’ll have better chance finding what you are looking for that way.  

Second, don’t isolate yourself. Go to conferences and PDs where other like minded techy teachers gather. Start talking about what apps you’re using and they will do the same. I have found some of my favorite apps that way.

As a parting gift I will share with you an interactive graphic that I created a few months back that highlights some of my favorite Google Apps. Be sure to move your curser over the apps to get a little more information about each of the apps. Thank you for reading this blog, I hope you enjoyed it. Dr. Roby I’m double dipping on this one the graphic is both an image and has hyperlinks. :-)



 (Hover mouse over for more info)

Creating Contagious Change

I often hear these teachers say things like, “the kids these days with their youtube and video games just aren’t as good as the students in the past.” I am almost happy when they say something like that because they at least notice that things are working and something needs to change. The hard part it convincing them it’s them and their teaching practices need to change. I found an amazing article that supports their, the teachers’, theory that the students are not the same by pointing out that it is partially because the proliferation of technology into the students’ daily lives has changed the way they learn. (READ THAT ARTICLE HERE PART 1 & PART 2). Don’t get me wrong it’s not all downhill from here change is very much an uphill battle all the way until it is done, but I have some tips for those of you who find yourselves trying to create contagious change.

Let’s face it bringing technology into the classroom for many teachers means CHANGE! And we’re not talking about a little change like going from overhead projects to document cameras we’re talking about the hard hairy changes that typically get a lot of pushback from teachers. That’s what makes my job so hard, some of these teachers who have been teaching the same way for the last 15+ years are very comfortable and rather set in their ways.

1. Get the teachers trust. I typically find a personal technology need that they can use some help with. This gets my foot in the door and helps me establish a relationship with the teacher.
2. Be intentional. Make sure you make it a point to stop by and see that teacher frequently just to check up and see if you can help them in anyway. Don’t forget to ask about that problem you helped them with to “make sure” that it is still ok. Really you’re just subconsciously reminding them that you care enough to help them.  
3. Convince them to let you model a technology lesson in their class. This is the most important step. You need to communicate with the teacher and find out what the students should be learning when you will be there with the technology lesson. You must use the technology to enhance the learning of the content, DO NOT JUST TEACH A TECHNOLOGY SKILL. You need to help you teachers see that technology isn’t a “pull out skill” to be learned from another teacher. They need to see it as a critical element that enhances their students learning.
4. Give them some homework! Help them design a lesson that integrates technology that they will teach. Offer to be there just in case they need technology help, but really, in addition to being tech help, you are there to give them feedback and encouragement after the lesson is over. Be sure to start with what was good and went right before getting to the constructive criticism.
5. The last step is to provide them with a support structure to help them to continue to grow in their technology use. I like to connect them to other techy teachers and I always point them to the list of asynchronous PD resources that I am creating.

Asynchronous and Autonomous Online PD... Astounding!!!

Ask any teacher what they do in their free time and they will look you in the eyes and start laughing. Why? Because once you get them to stop laughing they will tell you that they don’t have any free time. The truth of the matter is that many of them don’t. Now with the new Common Core State Standards being implemented they, the teachers, are most likely preoccupied with switching up their pedagogical practices. They definitely don’t have any free time to pursue professional development (PD), but is what they need the most. This is where asynchronous online PD shines.

Asynchronous online PD allows teachers to access learning activities and materials at anytime and anywhere they have an Internet connection. So how does this work in my district, well, it doesn’t yet. This is my summer project. I am going to sit down and design 12 modules/classes that teachers can work on at their own pace whenever they want.

These courses will be designed to help my teachers integrate technology into their teaching practices.  The courses will range from simple stuff like, “How the heck do I use Google Docs” to more intellectual pursuits such as, “Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: Evaluating One’s Self Using the TPACK model.”

I will be using our district’s online learning management system to host the courses so that I can track the time spent by my teachers on each course. I want to do it this way so that I can work out a deal with human resources to get my teachers paid for their PD efforts. Here is a link to one of my public pages that teachers can use to get “Just-In-Time” PD and other information.