Dropcanvas for collaboration

I am all about collaboration and sharing of files when it comes to student projects or teachers working together. Normally, groups can share documents with Google Docs, Dropbox, or a Wiki. Dropcanvas helps groups share multiple files by creating a canvas that you can quickly create, add files to, and then share by email, social media or embedding it. It was very easy to sign up (you actually don't even need to register) and easy to use.



I like dropcanvas because you can share multiple files in one place quickly. Pretty cool. Give it a try with your next collaborative project.

Time Machine

I stumbled across this when I was putting some stuff away in my closet. Remember when this was state of the art technology?

Stay Organized with Evernote

One of my goals this summer beside looking into Pinterest and alternative sites to use besides Google Apps for Education is to try out Evernote. I have it on my iPhone and have clipped a few items, but I am just not comfortable with it yet. If you are unsure of what Evernote is, watch this video.



With all of the 1:1 or tablet programs out there these days, Evernote is a great tool for students. See what an actual student has to say in this video.



There are a TON of great tutorial videos on YouTube. Give it a try this summer.

Thanks.

Learni.st

Last week, I had a post on trying out Pinterest and how it might be useful in the classroom. I recently got a tweet from Ron Houtman about a new site that is currently in beta called Learnist. This site is being developed by Grockit and hopes to be a Pinterest for education with their slogan being "share what you know."

Learnist is developing a site that will allow you gather various resources from the Web, whether it be videos, images, blog posts, Wikipedia articles, etc. and put them together into a logical order with notes or explanations that people could follow and learn from. It is a great idea for teachers who use resources on the Web on a regular basis.



At the moment, you can only request an invite (which I have), but you can visit and check out some of the beta creations that others have made. Good stuff! I love this idea and can't wait to try it. My summer to do list just got longer. I will let you know how it goes when I get my invite.

Thanks!

Pinterest in the Classroom?

I was at the MACUL Conference back in March and hear a lot about a site named Pinterest. Other educators that spoke of it were absolutely hooked on it. If you have not visited or heard of Pinterest, think of it as an online bulletin board that you can "pin" your favorite things. Pictures, videos, links, etc. Here is a quick video to explain more.



A lot of the talk I heard about Pinterest had to do with its possible used in education and in the classroom. I will be honest, I don't know enough about it to have an opinion one way or the other. My hope is that you will explore what Pinterest has to offer and see if you can use it. A note of caution, Pinterest is not filtered or offer and EDU version at the moment, so be careful with your studetnts. I requested an invite this morning and am eager to try it out this summer. In the mean time, here is a great post from Pearson School Systems on Four Ways to Use Pinterest in Education. Let me know what you think after you have tried it or if you already have let me know your thoughts.

Thanks.

SlideRocket Revisited

In my quest to find decent online tools for my students to use that are not name Google Docs, I talked about SlideRocket, an online presentation tool. My students had the choice to use SlideRocket or Prezi for a class presentation. SlideRocket worked well and the students seemed to enjoy it. It has a feel a little closer to PowerPoint and that appealed to some. I had to present to my district's board of education last week and chose to use SlideRocket. I liked it a lot.

Now, with SlideRocket's partnership with Google Apps for Education, students have one more choice to publish their work online. If you haven't tried SlideRocket out, give it try!

Thanks.

My BYOT Experience at School

Are you thinking BYOB? No, definitiely not. BYOT means Bring Your Own Technology. More specifically, to school or your work place. BYOT is a craze that is somewhat taking the nation by storm and creating a lot of discussion in schools about how we should look at technology and our students. Their are school districts out there, Forest Hills Schools near Cincinnati for one, where BYOT is where it is at. Students are encouraged (expected) to bring their own computer to school. Whether it be a laptop, netbook, tablet, iPad, iTouch, Nook, Fire, etc. Students supply their own technology, not the school. Interesting concept, huh?

We are interested in fostering the idea of BYOT at the high school here in Sparta. With that in mind, I organized a BYOT Day at the high school last week. My hope was that teachers would plan some sort of activity during their class period to use the technology that students brought in that day. The staff was asked on a volunteer basis if they wanted to participate. About 25% chose to try it. I was able to email out information about activities that they might try such as Socrative, TodaysMeet, The Khan Academy, and Poll Everywhere to name a few. I had students create a commercial advertising BYOT Day and I even went on the announcements to talk about it. Some students were a little apprehensive about bringing in devices fearing theft or loss.

Results were positive. A lot of students brought in devices. I saw a lot of laptop and iPads. In just my classes, about 70-80% of my upperclassmen had devices with Web access. My freshman class ran around 40%. There were a few filtering options and a few connectivity issues with the wireless, but overall the day went very well. As I was driving home that day, I had a few thoughts. First, students love technology. If we can harness the tech power that they own and bring to school everyday, that is a lot of technology in the classroom that the district doesn't have to purchase, maintain, and replace. Second, there is a segment of the student population out there that does not have any of the devices discussed above. We have to make sure to include them in the process with technology that they can checkout or simply include them in a group or pair them up with someone with technology. Finally, teachers need training. A lot of it. There are some teachers that were hugely supportive of what I was trying to do and I thank them. They were willing to step out on a limb and try something new. That is hard, but great things can come of it. There was also that segment of the teaching staff that wanted nothing to do with BYOT Day, which is fine, but you can only keep your head stuck in the sand for so long. Technology is all around us. Catch the wave or be crushed by it.

Based on the success (small sample size) of our first BYOT Day, I may try another one next month before school is out for the summer. I think that BYOT has merit and is the future. Is my school ready to go both feet in yet, no. But, if we start small, and build some trust and momentum, we will be ready in the future.

Thanks for stopping by.