Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Smile!

You've done it!  You finished the course!  And in the words of that great philosopher, Dr. Seuss:


You're just beginning a career that truly is one of the most important in the world. Take it seriously, but never take yourself too seriously!  Begin each day with a "thank you" and end it with two questions:

1) Did I do my best today?  and
2) What will I do tomorrow to make learning more engaging and more relevant for my students?


My wish for you also comes from the great  poet,  Dr. Seuss:

 


I appreciate the effort you have put into this course. I've learned from you, and I hope you've learned about technology and the critical role it plays in the lives of students and teachers today! Teaching and learning are forever changed by technology! And technology will only get better, faster, cheaper, more powerful, smaller, more affordable and more available! 


 Best wishes to you as your continue your education. Never stop learning!  Here are some of my final thoughts in an interactive glog.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

PLNs: Learn More. Do More. Be More. Pass It On!

If you've been around educational technology for more than a few minutes, you've seen the name Kathy Schrock.  In fact, I know you've seen it several times during this course.  Kathy has been involved in technology for a very long time.  In fact, she started a Facebook group called "Digital Pioneers."

Recently retired as technology director for a school system in Massachusetts, Kathy is continuing to put  her experience and knowledge to good use with her web resources, presentations, slideshows and webinars.

If you ever get a chance to hear her in person, get there early and grab a seat near the front! Meanwhile, check out her blog and other resources. Here's one of her recent webinars:  Connecting Your Classroom to the Future: Predictions and Predicaments.  You'll enjoy her sense of humor, her presentation style and her ability to help you keep up to date on current trends and technologies.

Why You Should Begin Your Own PLN by @a

Kathy is part of my PLN, my Personal Learning Network--a group of people I've "collected" and "connected with" from around the globe via Twitter, email, Facebook, blogs and RSS.  They are people I learn from every day, and because of them, I can share more things with you.  I connect with people who think like I do, but I also learn from people who "think different" and help me look at things in new ways.  I learn from people in education, but also from others in business, sports, entertainment and publishing.

We used to learn from our classmates, our friends, our families and--in teaching--our colleagues in the next classroom.  But technology enables us to connect with people from around the world.  Our best professional colleages and collaborators may be people we have never met in person!

It's time to start building your own PLN.  Why?  Because you'll be a better, more confident teacher and your students will benefit from that! How?  Here are some resources to get you started:





Friday, April 20, 2012

Live Social Media Counts

You think your life is busy?  Look what's happening on the web right now!

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Sharing Is Good


We learn to share early in life....but only recently are things beging produced that are truly designed to be shared.  In this video, Michael Jones talks about open content, Creative_Commons and the importance of sharing in today's world.  He tells you how to find resources that are free use and designed for you to share.


The History of Technology in Education

So you think overhead projectors are old school?  The history of technology in education goes back much much farther than that.  SMART Technologies developed this short video history (so you know it will include SMART boards), but it ends with a very interesting question!