The Purple Parade

Ever since I participated in the Google Teacher (now Innovator) Academy in 2014, I have been amazed by the power of Google My Maps.  It just keeps getting better, and the ways to use it are unlimited! If you've never tried Google My Maps, just try it!  Sign into your Google Account and go to your Google Drive.  Click on "NEW" and then "More", and then "Google My Maps".  You can also access it through Google Maps (click on the 3 lines on the left hand side of the screen and click on "Your places"). For fun, I decided to create a map of all the locations of the 250th anniversary cakes in St. Louis .  I did in the old Google My Maps, so it looks a little different since it was converted to the new maps.  I've also presented on Google My Maps at several conferences.  This is a tour of St. Louis from the M3 conference sponsored by MOREnet . You might think that Google My Maps is only for social studies, and it does lend itself to that s...

As a "newbie" to the ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) conference, I didn't quite know what to expect.  I've been to conferences before, but this was a conference on steroids.  There were so many workshops to choose from. So many different types of workshops, connecting opportunities, demonstrations, etc. were available that I wasn't quite sure what to do. I think I must've looked like a little lost puppy in a huge, unknown world.  The first day I was there, I walked into this huge convention center to ISTE Central and was overwhelmed.  It looked like ground control for NASA or something.  I signed into a computer where immediately my nametag was printed for me, and I was handed all the materials I needed to get started on my journey.  "WOW" was all I could think of.  "This is going to be great"! From my hotel room, which overlooked the loading dock of the convention center, I could see all of the crates with va...

Google Classroom Google Classroom is by far my favorite Educational Technology Tool of 2014.  Everyday I find another great way to use Google Classroom!  If you have a Google Apps for Education Domain, then you can use Google Classroom.  It was fully released to schools in late August 2014.  By October, Google already had updates to the tool because they listened to all of the teachers using the product and added features that were most requested. Google Classroom allows teachers to make announcements or assignments through an easy to use Google Drive Management Tool.  As, I was told at Google Headquarters this past July, Google Classroom is not meant to be Learning Management System such as Edmodo, Schoology, Moodle, or Blackboard.  It is supposed to help teachers manage their Google Drive assignments with students.  Teachers can make a template in their Google Drive and then through Google Classroom assign that template to the students by mak...

Wow!  I can't believe how fast this summer has flown by.  I'd like to share my best learning from the summer workshops I attended this summer: Digital Citizenship - A great book about Digital Citizenship is:   Digital Citizenship in Schools  by Mike Ribble.  He even has a website:   http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/ .  He discusses the 9 elements of digital citizenship (Digital Access, Digital Commerce, Digital Communication, Digital Literacy, Digital Etiquette, Digital Law, Digital Rights and Responsibilities, Digital Health and Wellness, and Digital Security). Web 2.0 for the Common Core - Amazing presenter - Julie Smith!  I had heard of most of the web 2.0 tools discussed, but it was great networking with other teachers as to how they use them in their classroom.  My favorite tools are listed below: Prezi Meograph Livebinders Symbaloo Lucid Chart Screencast-o-matic Animoto Go Animate Glogster Padlet Storybird Little Bir...

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) or Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) is beginning to become more popular in school districts today.  Due to budget cuts, it is difficult for school districts to keep up with the ever changing technology world.  However, most students already own the technology needed.  So, why not let them use what they already have in order to enhance their learning.  There are so many sites out there that can be used for BYOD/BYOT.  A fun one to start with when students enter the door is Poll Everywhere .  Put up a question on the board and have the students respond to it on their technology devices.  A graph will appear and change as each student enters their response.  This is a free resource that could take the place of classroom response systems.  If students do not own a device, you can provide a district laptop or mini notebook to use in class. I've been working on a list of BYOD resources for high school. After that, ...

I've spent the summer going doing research and going to workshops to gain more knowledge on using web 2.0 tools in the classroom.  I always wondered why they call them web 2.0 tools.  Well, when the web was first created, it was used for research and to gain knowledge in a variety of topics.  Now, there are many sites out there that are interactive in nature.  These sites still help students gain knowledge, but through interacting with learning instead of just reading about it.  These sites are called web 2.0. I have spent many hours this summer visiting sites on a variety of subjects and have compiled the following list of my favorite web 2.0 sites.  The topics I have compiled so far are: Student Engagement, Collaboration, Math, English/Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science .  I will also be researching sites on Art, Foreign Language, Business, and more, and will post those when I get the list compiled. I hope you enjoy the sites I h...