Future Technology

Future technologies emerge faster than we can keep up with them, yet teachers feel pressure to incorporate ever-changing resources into their classroom practice. It's important to match learning tools to teaching strategies and content necessary to meet both academic and technology standards. Emerging technologies will support teacher efforts to accomplish BOTH.

One emerging technology which will assist teachers is the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) movement becoming popular in middle and high schools. BYOD increases the technology available in the classroom and allows tech tools to be strategically incorporated into academics. Schools pioneering this technology are also launching new protocols of support with information sessions, video "commericals" for use policies, and permissions forms. Organizations like the NEA support the new BYOD movement and encourage schools to prepare teachers, students, and parents for this emerging technology.

Although critics of the BYOD movement say it will expose inequalities between students, the benefits outweigh the potential challenges. As younger students have access to the internet on their personal devices, options for teaching strategies expand for teachers. Most schools do not enjoy a one-to-one technology environment, even in high socioeconomic settings. The BYOD movement, if carefully unpacked in classrooms, will give students learning opportunities that even their districts may not make possible.

Digital Citizenship

Presentation tools change as media and technology develop over time. Prezi, as an online presentation tool, creates movement not possible in Powerpoint presentations. Prezi is cloud based, which means presentations can be accessed, edited, shared, and presented from anywhere, even remotely. Because of its visual tracking ability, called a "path," Prezi can help teachers or students show the relationships between things or ideas. Prezi can be used as an alternative to Powerpoint or any time learning will take place remotely. Unfortunately, our district blocks Prezi for student use, so for now, its use will be limited.

This Prezi presentation shares information about academic dishonesty in the digital age. Following the path will lead you into specific tips and resources for responding to digital dishonesty. It also outlines ideas for avoiding plagiarism and embeds kid-friendly media for teaching about citation. View this Prezi for an overview of proper digital citizenship as it applies to digital content.

Assistive Technology

Students have unique personalities, skills, challenges, and educational needs. As teachers work to meet the needs of a variety of students, it's helpful to have technology resources. According to the CDC, one million more children were diagnosed with ADHD than 10 years ago. This impacts classroom instruction. Thankfully, the increase in personal devices and technology helps teachers respond to this growing need.

Many students with ADHD struggle to follow their own train of thoughts and organize their ideas. They become frustrated to the point of shutting down and struggle to write in class, bombarded with stimulation, or unable to follow directions. Graphic organizers help students chunk the information from a lecture, video, or text, but also help students collect their thoughts before writing. Apps like Popplet, Inspiration Lite, and SimpleMind provide a variety of simple graphic organizers for students. The ability to use color, reorganize the ideas, and limit what is on the screen add to the customization for ADHD students.

Inspiration Lite is a powerful mapping tool which is simple, yet intuitive. The free version offers enough support for students to organize text from reading or for writing purposes. Students can brainstorm ideas, organize ideas, add images, and rearrange text to make connections. Visual diagrams can turn into written outlines with the touch of a button, and completed graphic organizers can easily be shared or stored. View the tutorial below for an introduction to this assistive technology for ADHD students.

YouTube Playlist

A video playlist is a media rich tool for engaging students and delivering important content or directions. It is a compilation of videos from sites like YouTube, TeacherTube, TED, or any other sites that have content appropriate for students. It is easily created in YouTube by beginning a new playlist and adding videos to the file. It's important to preview the videos first. The playlist will be more effective if you select videos which are void of advertisement. In my teaching context, this would be useful for introducing or reviewing new material. Because playlists can be linked to teacher websites, they are also useful tools for students who miss classroom instruction.

My video playlist is based on the skills for writing summaries, including finding main ideas and details in non-fiction text. We will use this playlist in class for previewing and reviewing content, but it will also be used as an example of the project I want students to complete as a culminating project.

Digital Posters

Digital posters can be used in the classroom for both instruction and assessment. Digital posters like Glogster create a dynamic, multi-media interface to engage students with learning. Video, images, websites or other interactive sites can be linked to one theme-based poster for teaching content or process in the classroom. Students can use digital posters to make their learning visible. Tools like Glogster can be used for review, synthesis, or assessment.

My Glogster poster is a review activity for students on the concept of "Writing a Summary." Links include songs, practice activities, and visual reminders for how Main Ideas and Details create a Summary. I would use this in the classroom as an engaging review activity before a summative assessment. I might also ask students to make a digital poster as an assessment of learning.

Click HERE to view my Glogster poster.

Professional Development Resources

Teachers seldom have time to embark on self-directed professional development, but it's important for teachers to follow their own interests and needs as they grow as learners. The sites below are some of my favorite, dynamic places to browse and learn about middle school students and how teaching English Language Arts is relevant to their lives.

Click here to view my professional development resources. 

Screencast Video

Screencasts can be used to easily record any event happening on a computer screen, and include a descriptive narrative which is recorded at the same time. Most computers with microphone capabilities can create screencasts, depending on successfully running Java. Several popular options include screenr.com, screencastomatic, and Jing. Screencasts are essential tools for online learning, since an instructor can demonstrate and explain features of a website, document, or video. Recording explanations can be uploaded and linked to a teacher's website for absent students, or between colleagues who work in different building or locations.

My screencast shows you how to access important information about my computer. I have demonstrated where to find the operating system and memory features of the MacBook Pro, OSX.
Click PLAY to view.