Is this tech 2 legit 2 quit?*

Can I admit something? I'm still kind of skeptical of a lot of these websites for use in school. It's not that they don't do a lot of really cool stuff. I just worry that they might take up more of the students' time than necessary in order to convey a concept.

I did think of some fun projects, though, that I thought would be worthwhile:

1. BigHugeLabs - There are lots of easy ways for students to create graphics for presentations or creative assignments here. (eg. biographies presented as magazine covers, cube to create math games, etc.) It's very basic, so it can be used by young students. I could see this being a good introduction to using computers to manipulate images.
2. Glogster can have many uses, but it must be used wisely so it's not just a bunch of text. Some of the examples on the website were so wordy, I thought I was looking at a conference poster presentation (which it turned out some of them may be). If a student wants to include a multimedia element, this is a great tool. I could see wanting to show a video of a red panda in the wild or what it's like to be in an avalanche. A student may also want to include a recording they took at the zoo of a lion roaring or an audio clip of a warbler from a birding website. Glogster would make it easy to incorporate this into a visually interesting presentation.
3. I've loved Doodle for years. It makes scheduling events so much easier than sending a million emails back and forth. A couple years ago I had a "playground club" for my son's Pre-K class over the summer, and I used a Doodle to find the day and time that worked for the majority of kids. I've also used it for scheduling meetings for people coming together from all over New England (and remotely from other parts of the country). There's no way I could have easily accomplished organizing that many people without the assistance of a tool like Doodle.
4. I love the look of Animoto. I can see a teacher of an advanced history class having the students do a project on doing research with non-text sources and having them put audiovisual resources into a longer video like those featured on Animoto. (Of course the featured video I really took as inspiration was a tribute to a deceased relative, but most of the topics being researched would probably feature dead people, so the point still stands...) There are so many great photos from archives and libraries online now (see Flickr!) that this would be both an interesting and fun project.

I have to admit that I don't think I would ever use Voki. This is probably just my personal preference because when Apple came out with the animoji, I was convinced it was the dumbest thing ever. Why would I want a text that's my friend pretending to be a unicorn? If I wanted to hear her voice, I'd call. Like, why??

... I digress. I can see some practical applications of Voki, especially after reading through this week's discussion board, but unless it was really necessary for a student to have an alternative way of presenting, I don't think I'd incorporate it into my planning.

Overall, I like the idea behind a lot of these resources, but I think you need to be very careful that you are using them for valid reasons, not just because it's ~fun~. Not that there's anything wrong with having fun, obviously, but learning a new tool or spending extra time crafting a video needs to be justified.

*Yes, now I also have 2 Legit 2 Quit stuck in my head.

The Internet Consumes Me

How much time can you spend exploring websites you may never use before it becomes overwhelming? It's not that long, quite frankly. If you asked me to tell you what websites I was on this week, I'd just refer you to my browser history because I can't keep up.

This week, I wanted to see how many new websites I could find that I really felt like I might use in a school library setting. I have to say, overall I was kind of disappointed. Maybe I just don't have the practical experience to see how many of these websites could be useful. Here's what I did find and like, though:

1. Edmodo - After spending a few weeks using Canvas, I can see how students, especially older students, would benefit from online discussion. One of the students in my class mentioned how as a teenager, she found that blogging helped her to develop her voice and confidence. A class discussion board could do the same for someone who is uncomfortable raising her hand in class. Edmodo seemed like a good resource for that if your school does not already have an app for online discussion. There is also a way for teachers to communicate with parents if the teacher would like to use this platform rather than email.

2. TEDed - I love the videos on TEDed! "A Day in the Life of an Ancient Celtic Druid," "The Secret Student Resistance to Hitler," "The Dust Bunnies that Built Our Planet..." It seems like you could find something here for almost any lesson. Sometimes showing a quick five minute video is just what you need to break up your class and keep your students engaged. There are also lesson plans if you need something to spark your own creativity. (The lesson plans themselves seem pretty basic.)

3. WeVideo - If you are looking for a way for your students to create professional looking videos easily, setting up an account at a website like WeVideo may be worth the money. Creating videos is a nice change of pace for students, even if it may be more of a time commitment than most other assignments. If students feel that they are making something they can be truly proud of because of how professional it appears, they will probably be more excited about the project.

4. Poll Everywhere - Having your students engage with your class through polls and quizzes is not something you'd do every day, most likely, but it might be nice to do occasionally, especially right before vacations when you know they're getting distracted really easily. Poll Everywhere is a popular option for companies and schools to do this. It's not free if you want all the features, but if this is something you think you and your coworkers would use regularly, a premium account may be worth advocating for.

5. Canva - For my other class this week, I needed to create two infographs. I'd never made one before and certainly don't have any graphic design software on my $199 Chromebook. So, I googled "infographic free" and found Canva. I quickly made two rather professional (if I do say so myself) infographics. It was easy and would be a nice way for students to present information to their peers. I could see an assignment where students had to propose a business venture or science project in a simple way, using Canva. It would be a nice break from PowerPoint and would force them to elaborate on an idea, rather than just reading from a slide. There are premium accounts on Canva, but I found I didn't need it. If you really want to zhuzh up your infographic, there are many elements you can buy on a per item basis. Another site to consider is Piktochart, which seems better for collaborating, but this, again, comes at a price.

That last point about considering two sites that do virtually the same thing raises a point that I struggled with while exploring. There are so many websites and apps that claim to do the same (or very similar) thing. How do you decide which to use? We all have limited time, and the thought of spending hours exploring these resources and reading reviews while also trying to run a school library sounds exhausting. Maybe if they are similar, you just go with whatever you get a good feel from? And ask your friends if they've used any of the sites; they may be able to give you pointers. There are innumerable tools for schools online, though, and knowing even some of them will give you an advantage when working with teachers and students alike.

Time to admit I am not as current with tech as I thought

Technology sure does move fast! This week I've spent a lot of time thinking about how technology has changed in the past 10 years. And then I got thinking about how it was ten years before that. And then I realized that is going to be a challenge to keep up with this stuff when I'm working full-time. It's hard enough to do when I'm just a student (and mom and volunteer and general person trying to live her life). That's why I'm so happy for people like Joyce Valenza who are able to be exposed to so many kinds of technology and do some initial analysis for librarians and educators. I'm including her list of tech trends from 2015 and my reaction to them behind THE JUMP! at the end of this post.

I really enjoyed the experience of using Flipgrid, not so much because of Flipgrid itself but because of how it forced me to think of integrating technology into lessons. Initially I just thought, "Oh, this would be cool to use as an alternative to a traditional speaking assignment." Then I went further. "What if there is a journalism class at the school?" You could use Flipgrid or another video app as a way to simulate television reporting where you may only have a short time to convey a message. What if you have a student who is home for an extended illness but is trying to stay involved as much as possible? You could use a video to have them record their speech and present it to the class that way. (Then take a video of the class's reaction and send it back.) I know none of these concepts are groundbreaking, but this was a good reminder that new technology can make these sorts of things more accessible. No longer do you need to set up a huge camcorder in the back of the room to make simple and short presentations. I'm glad that I've had the opportunity to play with Flipgrid because it got me thinking about ways to engage with the faculty and the library's resources.

Social media is another topic this week that I feel strongly about. I know that I'm old by students' standards, but I'm a millennial, goshdarnit, and I'm going to use social media to the best of my ability.

via GIPHY

I hesitate to do too much with social media before 8th grade due to these sites' age restrictions, but I know that older students could benefit from using social media as a way to engage with experts in areas they're studying and to stay abreast of current events that affect certain subjects. For example, when I was a senior in high school, I took an environmental studies class. If I was to take that class now, I know that I could have used Twitter and Instagram to follow experts in environmental science, which would have allowed me access to the most current thinking in the field.

I also realize that I have let my tech skills fall behind while staying home with my kids. I knew they were getting bad, but I didn't realize how bad until I tried to center that gif and found out that the <center> tag is now obsolete. While I am excited to create a library website at some point in the future, it is slowly dawning on me how much of a learning curve that's going to be if basic languages like html have changed that much. Again, I can see why as a library media specialist, you need to stay on top of technology.

I really enjoyed this week. The conversations on the discussion board are really interesting, and I'm learning so much from my peers.

Top Ten Technology Tips for Teachers

As students' lives become more enmeshed with technology, it will serve teachers well to incorporate it into their lessons. Here are some tips and thoughts for teachers looking to be more technology friendly:
1. Start by reading studies and books and attending seminars about using technology in classrooms so that you have a clear idea of what is needed to implement technology based lessons, as well as what sorts of programs and technology-based lessons work best for learning.
2. Think about why you want to use technology. Your students will learn best if you have a clear objective that benefits from technology.
3. Ask your students how they use technology. eg. What do they prefer to use? Laptops? Tablets? Cell phones? How are your students spending their time on these devices? Use that information to create your lessons.
4. You will probably need to learn how to fully use the technologies you plan on using before introducing them to the class. You want to feel in control.
5. However, you probably won't be able to anticipate all of the issues you and your students might encounter. Work with your students to figure it out.
6. Make sure you talk with the technology instructors and IT professionals at your school or district to see what they have already developed and to see how (or if) they can support your plans.
7. Consider your students before making any big decisions. eg. Do they have devices from home they can use? If not, can they procure them? Is your class easily distracted? What devices or programs can you use that will lessen the distraction? Do they have a strong technology background or will you need to teach them from the ground up?
8. Consider the parents. Make sure you can sell your technology decisions to skeptical parents who may not want their children on screens at school.
9. Using technology may take more time (both in class and for you as teacher) than a more traditional lesson. Plan accordingly.
10. Have fun with it! Your students will be more likely to enjoy a new way of learning or experiencing the material you're presenting if they can tell that you're excited about teaching it this way.