Thing 35

3D Printing

3D Printing is an awesome new tool that is becoming more accessible to schools and individual families.  The idea of 3D printing is to program a design into a 3D printer, and to have the printer "create" a 3 dimensional item from your design.  If you would have asked me about the whole idea of 3D printing 10 years ago, I would have put it in the same category as time travel and jumping to "warp speed" (even though they did prototypes of 3D printing 25 years ago).  

Schools around the country have started using 3D printing as a tool to aide their lessons.  Math classes have created graphs to better understand their data points and social studies classes have created 3D models of a topographical map.  At Washburne, students have used the 3D printer to make a variety of items, such as a holder for their GoPro, or even a cone for the top of their rockets.  

One of the best parts of using 3D printing is the innovation that it allows.  Students are able to use it to supplement any class project.  Instead of drawing a landscape for your story, you could create one!

The price of 3D printers is also dropping, making them more affordable for schools.  Decent models can be found for $2,000, and the price of the material around 30 cents a gram.  

What better way to get kids to buy into learning about technology than to be able to have them create something tangible they can take home and show their friends and family!

Digital Citizenship

Digital Citizenship covers what it means to use technology appropriately.  Some of the bigger topics included in digital citizenship includes:

• Cyberbullying
• Privacy
• Online Safety
• Online Profiles
• Social Networking

As technology grows more prevalent (1:1 in schools, elementary kids getting their own iPhones, etc), the need to address "how to behave online" is more and more important.  As schools allow more access to technology, we as educators need to be sure we educate our students on how to be a responsible citizen in the digital world.  Resources to educate students are very easy to find and implement in short lessons.  Common Sense Media has videos and plans for kids K-12.  It is age appropriate, and also has information you can provide to parents.

As technology continues to grow and change, we need to be sure that we as educators are also adapting with it.  There will always be new apps or new modes of social media online.  Students who are not aware of possible outcomes, may not know how their actions can affect themselves and others.  Many colleges and potential employers are now checking a personal digital footprint before they make any decisions on acceptance or employment.  The way kids act online has a direct affect on their real life.

There's also Cyber Wise, an organization that aims at educating adults on how to talk to kids about the importance of being a safe and smart online citizen.  

Thing 36: The End!

Thing 34: Breakout EDU

BreakoutEDU is awesome!  I love games (personally) but also love when they can be used in an educational setting.  I could see this being a fun Friday night activity with friends as well!

The one I picked was the Swamp.  It is a simple team building game, rated for younger kids, but I thought it would be a great intro to what a BreakoutEDU is all about.  As I was thinking about this topic more, I thought it could be a great idea for our beginning of the year team building competition.  We do some kind of competition every year with our Team Imagine 7th and 8th graders.  This could be another option.  We could create 4 rooms (all using the same game) and see which group worked together the best to escape the room the fastest.

I also thought this could be a great lesson to put together for KW.  I would have to think about how to make the game into doing something physical (i.e. do 10 push-ups if you think this is the answer, do 10 sit-ups if you think this is the answer).  The drawback to this is I would have to create a lot of boxes to use in my classes of 26+ students.

This made me think of an awesome game I play with friends using my Android phone and an Oculus 360 viewer.  Its call "Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes."  Its basically a bomb defusing game in which one person sees the bomb, and has to relay information about it to the rest of the group.  The other people in the group have a manual that they have to look up and figure out how to disarm the various components of the bomb (i.e. if there are 3 red wires, but no yellow wires, you have to cut the 2nd wire from the bottom).  It's all time based and a blast to play!

http://www.keeptalkinggame.com/

Thing 33

Here is a video I found on Bullying and Harassment.

Thing 32: Atomic Learning

Wow, that was a long quiz...

Ok, now that I've said that, on to Atomic Learning.  I've never used Atomic Learning before, but I've heard the name dropped a few times in the past.  The first thing I noticed, which seems to be a common thread with these online resources, is that there is a LOT of information available.  There's a lot of good stuff available, but there is also a lot of rather...boring...information.  Many of the videos I watched reminded me of taking the SafeSchool videos we have to watch each fall.

One positive that I took away from this tool was that I will be sure to use it as a tool to look up information regarding my topics for Thing 34 (I believe).  The search tool was really the way to go for this function.  I typed in "Digital Citizenship" and was given 15 different pages to further look at.
As for using it with my teaching, I'm not sure I'm sold yet with this program.  There was a lot of information, and it made it difficult to decipher what I actually wanted.  I think it could be used to "preteach" certain technology lessons in other classrooms, but not with what I currently do.  I did do my obligatory "Physical Education" search, and found a cool little QR code idea.  So I guess it isn't all that bad ;)

Thing 31: Learning Gizmos

As I explored the Learning Gizmos available for life science, I couldn't help but wish I had this available to me as a student! The experience using this site was awesome!  You can't get much more hands on learning, beside actually being out in the environment doing experiments.  For a science/math teacher, this would be a great idea to find tasks to back up learning.

As I created my own Gizmo, I spent a little to much time playing the various "games."  I also like how each of the Gizmos come with an already made short quiz at the end.  It helps as a teacher to cut down on time making your own assessment or CFU assignment.  Plus it gives the kids instant feedback.

If you want to check out my Gizmo, here is the classroom code:

WWWJCV98DW

The disadvantage of using an online simulator is that it does take away from that "real world" experience.  I'm all about using simulators when you can't get access to the real thing, but I can see kids getting burnt out from just doing things on the computer.  With a good mix of hands on experience, and online experience, I think simulators have a great place in classroom learning.  

I'd like to see a "sports simulator," in which I could have kids play a "game" of, say soccer, online.  The program could have different things happen, and the kids have to figure out what the rules that are in violation are.  For example, if a kid is having a hard time understanding the off sides rule, they could run a simulation to see what it looks from a different perspective.'

Thing 30: Discovery Ed

I've heard of Discovery Ed before, but only from seeing it on the institute day option list and from talking with people from the Social Studies department.  Its another avenue to explore as you look for various aides for your classroom.

The first thing I looked for was something in Physical Education.  I was surprised by the amount of content they actually had.  There are days when we are rained out, and don't have a 4th teaching spot to use, so this could be a great option for us.  The video I found was about competitive sports in general for kids at the middle school level.  It was about breaking down some barriers that are out there (body image issues, gender roles, etc.)  It was short enough to possible show at the start of the school year.  Watch the video here.  There were also some other topics, including drug and alcohol awareness and anaerobic steroid use.  These are other topics we cover throughout the year.

The Spotlight on Strategies section was pretty cool.  It grouped together a bunch of different resources into specific topics, such as assessment, research, and sequencing.  The cool part of this section is that actual teachers have done these lessons and know what works and what doesn't.  I didn't see anything that pertained to my field specifically, so I looked into some areas about citing sources.  The video talked about related the popular show "Myth Busters" into an activity in which kids would learn how to tell if something they found on the internet was real, or possibly a myth.  It was a good idea on how to teach kids not to hold everything they find online to be the truth.

The Board Builder was a cool idea.  It is almost like creating a small website for a single activity.  I created a short lesson base for advisory.  In 7th grade we examine friendship.  I put together a video clip on friendship, as well as a short written document, then added a few guided questions for kids to work together with in small groups.

Discovery Ed seems like it has a lot of quality resources, but would take a lot more time to go through to see what we could actually use.  I will definitely remember this site for rainy days!

Thing 29

This week's thing was exploring more options for professional development with a 21st Century Conference.  The main point of this idea was to explore videos that other educators created regarding nearly any topic in education you could think of.

For my first video, I chose to watch "Getting Started with Maker Ed."  The presenters, Jenny Lussier and Barbara Johnson, explored the topic of Maker Ed.  I chose this topic because I love the idea of Maker Ed.  It brings me back to when I was a kid, pre-Nintendo, pre-smart phone, pre-internet.  We played back in the day through use of our imagination.  We created games, stories, and dialogue out of necessity.  One of the great parts of the unit that Barbara talked about was giving kids a choice.  She let each student pick their own topic to be inventive with.  She branched out with a lot of the specials (PE, Art, Music, etc) to allow the kids different paths to go with their project.  She acknowledged that by giving choice to 25 kids, you may have 25 different projects, but "organized chaos" can be a beautiful thing!  Maker Ed also got some kids into coding.  I think coding is such a cool new(er) topic out there that allows kids to think logically to get to a point they want to get to.  There are a lot of different resources available to get kids into coding as well.  Jenny later talked about her "Cardboard Challenge" in which she has a lot of different pieces of cardboard available, and the kids have x amount of time to design a project using cardboard and tape, to see who can come up with the most unique projects.  I love that Maker Ed is making its way into more and more schools!




The second video I watched was "Connecting Classrooms Globally" by Todd Nesloney.  I chose this video because Dave Senechal, the Social Studies teacher on my team, has been doing a project the last few years called "Global Nomads."  This is where kids in his class have a series of video conferences with kids from a class in a different part of the world (Afghanistan, for example), and talk about major topics of the world.  The presenter starts off with why he thought about this topic.  As a global learner himself (using ideas from people around the world) he thought his kids would be able to take just as much away from kids around the world as well.  Kids naturally want to connect and collaborate with others, so we should foster this desire.  The first device he talked about was using Skype.  There's a Skype in the Classroom feature, that allows teachers to find people who are willing to host Skype sessions with students.  There are many different topics and people to choose from.  The next feature he talked about was Google Hangouts.  He talked about how easy it was to use, but we already knew that from our lessons in Google Hangouts earlier!  His other tool is Twitter.  He uses twitter to find celebrities, Olympic athletes, and more to interact with his students.  He talked about using something called a "Mystery Skype" in which you connect with another teacher and then later involve both of your classes to ask a series of back and forth yes/no questions with the other class.  The idea is to be the first class to guess where the other class is from.  The questions varied from "Are you in the US?" to "Is it hot year round at your school?"   The next section involved around "Classroom Champions."  This is a tool that connects Olympic and ParaOlympic athletes with classrooms in which the class is paired up with an Olympian and they go through different topics, such as fair play, teamwork, and working hard to follow a dream.  I thought it was cool to get the Para Olympians involved to show the kids how people with disabilities aren't all that different, and can still reach their dreams in sports.  I think it would be especially cool if we were able to connect with an Olympian who had North Shore connections as well!

Things 24-28

I love using technology for formative and summative assessments!  I have heard of a few of the ones we covered in this class, but my main use of tech for assessments has been through Schoology, and a one time use of the Quick Response units.  Most of my "judgement" on the new avenues of assessment will be comparing them to Schoology, but I'll try to be fair :)

Google Forms and Flubaroo

This one was pretty cool and easy to use.  I have never set up a Google Form before, but it was pretty easy to do.  Very similar to setting up a quiz on Schoology.  I have filled out a Google Form many times, so it was cool to see how they work from the publishers standpoint.  The Flubaroo add-on was the first time I've used any add-on with Google sheets.  I didn't know there were other items you could use with it.  I thought Flubaroo was a strong addition to Google sheets/forms.  I didn't get any responses back, except the one I did myself.  However, I can see how it would be easy to look through all of the responses at one time.  If I didn't have Schoology, I would really like to utilize these two tools together for summative assessment.  

Socrative

Socrative is another tool available online for teachers to use for assessment with their students.  I've heard it mentioned by people in passing, but I've never used it before or checked it out.  It was easy enough to create the quiz.  It allowed me to create multiple choice, true/false, and short answer questions.  Making the quiz on Socrative was a little bit easier than Google Forms.  The design was quick to figure out.  As it was with Google Forms/Flubaroo, it was hard to see how this would actually turn out in the classroom.  Once I get all of my "data" in, I'll go back and see what its like to see the results.  I really like the Space Race idea though!  I can definitely see the kids getting into this.  It could be useful for an Advisory activity.

Room Number BECKER8851

Quiz Number SOC-23177453

Kahoot

Ahh, Kahoot.  I've heard so much about this tool, but from kids! They love it at Washburne.  They will be talking about it in morning advisory.  I've taken a Kahoot before, but I never did make one myself.  It was actually really easy to make.  It's really easy for the kids to take a Kahoot "quiz" as well, simply just click the answer they think is correct.  I like Kahoot because it is easy to make and easier to play.  The one draw back is the lack of short answer questions.  It can become a game of "multiple guess" rather quickly.  However, using it for a quick CFU or simply a fun review game, it's a great tool!

Padlet

Padlet is another tool I've used, but haven't really used.  We used one at a district in-service.  Its a simple tool, both to set up and to use.  I like using a Padlet as a brainstorming tool.  Its easy for all kids (or people) to be able to get their ideas "out there."  I do not like Padlet, as anonymity can have its draw backs.  Kids could write whatever they wanted without the repercussion of having their identity attached to it.  This is a link to my first (and only before today) Padlet.  I used this in Advisory as a first step in our Thanksgiving service project.  As you can see, there are some silly answers.  Another problem that came up was the kids said it was a little tricky to use with their iPads.

Overall, my favorite use of formative assessment remains to be Schoology.  I am able to set up (and save!) quizes on Schoology, and "open" them to my class when I want.  Their grades are automatically entered into my Schoology gradebook (Which the kids always have access to, so they always know their current grade.)  My second favorite, and one I might start using, is Kahoot.  Its so easy, and I know the kids already love it.

Thing 23 + 24

My Creative Commons score was 90/100,  I missed the first question.

I can't imagine how long it took to create that Disney Copyright movie...

Learning Registry

I had a hard time with the Learning Registry.  I tried to search for "Physical Education" but the only results that came back were on physics.  I then tried to search for something using the "Browse by Subject" tab.  Out of all of the categories for Physical Educations, there was only one link, something on volleyball.  When I tried to follow that link, not only was the link broken, but it was in German (or some other language.  I tried to search for social-emotional topics, but, again, I could only find broken links.  I'm not sure if I was doing something wrong, but I couldn't find any links that worked.

Illinois Shared Learning Environment

This site was much easier to navigate.  I looked up nutrition, as I thought it was something both Emily Keeter and I could use as Science and KW will be navigating who will be teaching many different health topics with the new standards upon us.  The following link is to a small science experiment some kids did on the importance of breakfast.

http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/show/breakfastscience.html

Creative Commons and Open Educational Resources (OER) are some pretty amazing topics that haven't been getting as much discussion as I would think they deserve.  It's an amazing idea, allowing other people to use your created work, in order to create their own work.  It's like paying it forward, with creativity.

I've heard of the OER movement before, but outside of education.  I've looked into Kahn Academy just because my dad had heard something about it.  In fact, when I looked back at it again for this assignment, I lost myself in a  video on WWII for about 10 minutes.  I love the idea of having all of this information available for free.  It helps gives access to content for schools of different economic backgrounds.  The videos they make these days are so much more entertaining than the ones I watched in school.  It's great to know that all educators have access to them!

I really loved the Spell with Flickr site!  It's so easy to use, and was pretty fun in doing so.  The Big Huge Labs also was fun, but more time required.  I made a movie poster.  It was easy to do, but the quality picture I used wasn't good enough to share.

Thing 22: PowToon

PowToon is a presentation tool that incorporates images, text, and animation.  I've never seen a PowToon before, that I know of.  I thought it was a pretty cool tool to use.  It was difficult to make my Powtoon with some segments.  Once you get good at using this tool, I can see how cool they could be in the end.

The best parts of this, that I think separates PowToon from other presentation tools, is the use of animation.  I thought it looked pretty cool putting in the different moving figures.  It also was pretty easy to search for images and insert them into the movie.  Once all of the items were in my screen, it was easy to move them around and set when I wanted them to come into the frame.  This could be a very cool segment of a movie if more time was put into learning it.

The part I really did not like was the whole premium aspect.  There were many themes and animations I could see but couldn't use until I paid for them.  It was distracting clicking on something I liked, only to see I couldn't use it unless I paid for it.  It seemed at every click there was something that they were trying to sell.  I get that it's a business, but it was rather annoying to deal with.

I'm not sure I would use this in the classroom.  It has a high learning curve, and took a long to time put this small video together.  However, I could see it possibly being useful for a bigger event, such as Go To School Night, or a Board Presentation.

Thing 21: Animoto

Animoto is awesome!  That was a lot of fun creating a short video.  I made a video describing how students can join Washburne's "Monkey Club."  This is a "club" that is for kids who are able to climb to the top of one of our climbing ropes.  With the easy share-ability of Animoto, I can easily link this to my students using Schoology.

Animoto is really easy to use.  Its simply adding a little text with some pictures, and it creates a fun video.  The themes were cool, and the music was as well (including very easy to add!)

One thing I immediately thought this could be useful with is creating an ACC video.  Katie Nelson and I (mostly all Katie) have been making videos to promote upcoming ACC events.  It was easy to do, we can add pictures of previous ACC's, and text of what to expect.  It would save a lot of time, and still has a cool finish.

Kids could also use this to create a trailer for an upcoming "movie."  The movie could be a book or chapter they read, and this is a simple way to check on what they've understood so far.

I really enjoyed this thing!  I can actually see myself creating a video for my own personal agenda.  It was that easy and cool finished product.

Thing 20: Voki

I'm glad this was described as "creepy."  Otherwise, that's all I would be able to think about when looking through these Vokis!  After I got away from the creepiness, I understood where this could be a valuable tool.  I absolutely hate hearing my own voice.  When I had to do videos in school, I would cringe when hearing it.  The first thing I did with Voki was utilize the text to voice commands.  It was really easy to simply type in what I wanted the...thing...to say.  I didn't have an issue with pronouncing words either.

This could also help with students who don't want to be on camera for projects.  We had a student who was intensely scared of being photographed or video taped.  Having an option like Voki gives students a way out if they are uncomfortable with being portrayed by technology.

I could also use this for kids who are injured.  They could use the Voki to summarize a topic or talk about a strategy in a sport.

My creepy shark can be found here

Thing 19: Prezi

I've heard of Prezi before, and I believe that I've seen one in action, but I've never used it to create a presentation yet.  My first thought was a positive one, in which they give free access to their product for teachers.  I love when companies give back to education!

My Prezi on Scoring in Tennis

I love the way Prezis look!  The fluid, smooth transitions look wonderful.  It gives the simple "slide show" an elegant look and feel.  Very much different from Powerpoint.  However, to get this great looking presentation, it requires a lot more input.  It probably took me at least 3 times the amount of time to create this Prezi as it would to put the same information into a Powerpoint.  I understand that it would get easier the more I use it, but whenever I'm making a presentation, I usually don't have tons of time to put into learning a new tool.

I also like that Prezi is web based.  Its easy to share and to always have available (given you have internet access).  There's no app to download or software to install.  Anyone in education has free access to this as well.  This also made it really easy to imbed a video into the presentation.  There was no awkward transition or changing the program during a presentation.  It was as simple as clicking.

I wonder how students who react to using this for their own presentations.  I often don't give kids enough credit for what they can accomplish.  I found the learning curve to using Prezi to be very steep.  If it would take the kids as much time to learn it as it took me, I don't think it would be a beneficial tool for them.  I could see upper high school kids using it to a better benefit than middle school kids.

Thing 18: Paper53 Sketchnotes

I hadn't heard about sketchnoting before this lesson, although the concept makes sense.  A lot of people learn best with art, drawing, etc.  However, I think learning through drawing is the worst possible way for me to learn!  I am a horrible artist, and it showed when I was trying to make my sketch.

Things I liked about the app included that it was easy to learn how to use and it could be easily shared.  I also liked following other people on paper 53.  Some of the sketches were amazing!  I couldn't believe that they were done on an iPad.  There was awesome shading, colors, and lines.

One thing I did not enjoy was the touch response to my finger.  Maybe it's because I am very troubled artistically, but I had a hard time drawing on the iPad.  I wonder if it would have been easier if I had a stylus, I assume that it would.

I think this could be a cool outlet to allow the kids who enjoy drawing to create projects/notes in a different way.  I could see having kids draw a set up we are covering in class, to put it in their own "words."  Although I would never use it, I could see it going over well with certain kids.

If you'd like to see my attempt at sketchbook, here's a link to my drive.

Thing 17: Notability

Ah, the infamous Notability.  While I've never used it before myself, I've heard a great deal about this app.  And now I can see why the hype was so high!  This app was pretty awesome.  It seems very powerful for a "note taking" app.  The features that I messed around with were very engaging.  I liked how I was able to use the standard keyboard to type, but I also could use my finger/stylus to jot down notes as well!  I've had issues using my fingers to write on an iPad in the past, but this app seemed to have great response.

Something that took some getting used to was scrolling up and down.  I'm used to using my phone, and to scroll I could just simply use one finger to move the screen up and down.  However, with Notability, it left all of these single vertical lines on my notes!  I'm sure I'd get used to using two fingers to scroll if I used this app frequently, but it definitely had a learning curve!

I really liked the ability to take a picture and include it in the notes.  I could see this being very useful in a science class.  When students need to memorize parts of a microscope, they could take a picture of one, and Notability has a function where you can edit a photo right in the app!  You could have them circle or point to various things, then label them in the app.

I like all of the features this app has to offer, and I want to continue to think about ways I could use this one in my class.  As usual, I think this would be best served for students who are unable to participate physically in class.  I think it could be something different to try- have those kids take notes on a class period (major topics we covered or observations from class), then share the notes with me or the class.  Very cool possibilities with this app!

Thing 16: Haiku Deck

Just got done messing around with Haiku Deck, and I had a lot of fun doing so.  I enjoy slide show presentations. I use them frequently when I host parent meetings for Athletics.  Haiku Deck (HD) was pretty easy to understand.  I was able to fire it up and started making a slide show within minutes.  My favorite aspect of HD was being able to pull the images up with a simple search.  The images were sharp and didn't seemed forced in, as they have in the past when I've used powerpoint/google slides.

My HD slide show can be found here

The user interface of this app was great.  It was easy to use the basic slides, and easy to add fun additions, such as various layouts and themes.  Although, I think there are more themes and layouts found in powerpoint.  I really liked how the themes of HD were visually impressive.

I could see myself using this for presentations I make.  It's a nice way to spice things up.  Also, it's really easy to share it with other people.  Instead of sending a file (that may or may not be compatible with the recipient) I can send a link that can be viewed by all.

I could also see students using this app to create their own presentation, especially if pictures are needed to be added.  I think it runs great on the iPad, and (like some other apps I just used) it was extremely easy to use the first time.

Thing 15: Book Creator

My first experience with Book Creator was a success!  It was really easy to get my thoughts down and create my first book.  I could see using this in a class with minimal instructions on how to use the tech.  It used many of the same features we are used to using (the add + button, the details button i).  Very simple, allows for more time for kids to be on task.

One thing I did not like about this app is that it was too simple.  From what I saw, the only way I could input text was to type it or write with a finger/stylus.  I didn't see a way to change up the font or color.  I would have liked to have more variety to the book, but I can see why simplicity is sometimes the best way to go.

I could actually see doing something like an introduction book in advisory.  I could use a simple layout, similar to the one I created for this class, and have the kids all share them with the rest of the advisory.  It could be done on our iPads in advisory, and wouldn't take much time at all.

If you'd like to see my book, I think I found a way to share it from my drive

Thing 14: iTunes U

I've never head of iTunes U before.  In fact, I thought it was a typo when I first read the topic for this thing.  My first instinct about this was that it was more like an online library.  It was a new way to find resources, and I started off by using it just for myself.  However, as it often goes- the more information that is available, the harder it is to find it.  iTunes U, while high in the amount of knowledge, was very difficult to find exactly what I wanted.

I searched for "physical education" and found tons of information.  I pulled up a series of videos by the Berlin Brandenburg International School.  It had about 12 entries of videos of "how to's."  There was a whole section on trapeze that would be awesome... if we had trapeze.  However, it gave me an idea that if I could find simple videos such as these for topics we do teach, that I could use them to post to Schoology for my classes to view on their own time (or in class on iPads) so they could see how various skills look when done correctly.  Outside of finding videos for students to watch, I didn't see any other reason to use iTunes U for students in my class.

If I were to suggest a course for an administrator to look into, it would be Educational Leadership by ASCD.  During my master's program, I read a lot of great articles by ASCD, and the same can be said about the information that is included in iTunes U.  They have specific topics that there are videos for, such as how to help a teacher who is new to the profession and teacher effectiveness.  In fact, there was an entire album discussing the Whole Child.  Our administrators could possibly use this information to help plan professional development activities during our institute days.

Overall, I don't think I'd use iTunes U for my students.  It was difficult to use.  I would use the information that I found though. I'd just put it through Schoology.  I would use this as another avenue to find more information for myself though.

Thing 13: Bloggers

I have never followed a blogger before, professionally or personally.  Overall, I thought they were pretty good.  The best ones, in my opinion, were the ones that kept their thoughts short and sweet.  I liked that I could read a lot of different topics in a short amount of time.  If I found a topic I found interesting, I could search for longer articles or posts about it in more detail.

The one that I enjoyed the most was Edutopia.  There was so much information on this blog, it was incredible! They did a great job of breaking it all down into easy to find categories too.  I went straight to the middle school section, and began looking at different topics that were meaningful to me.  There was also a section for videos, which is always a nice way of switching it up when you've done too much reading (sorry English teachers!).

One section in Edutopia that I want to remember is their section on Social-Emotional Learning.  The other grade level advisors on my team and myself are looking at ways we can change up what we do in advisory.  It will be nice to continue to visit this blog to find more information as the school year goes on.

Finally- one thing I noticed is that there were many authors for this blog. I didn't really think that this would be a thing, but it makes a lot of sense to get more information out there available to people.

Thing 12: ICE

I have never been to a technology conference, but I'm not opposed to going.  I've been to a couple of tech orientated classes at the state PE convention.  It was rather basic, focusing on QR codes, and heart rate monitors.  Nothing special, and definitely not as informing as this class has been.

Thing 11: Google Hangouts

Strike two for Google.  Another good idea that was done better by someone else.  Google Hangouts, in my experience, seems to be Skype using your google account.  Skype is something that I'm already familiar with, so trying to relearn how to use a video conferencing program seemed to be a little pointless to me.  It took me awhile to get a hangout going, which probably didn't help this review.

I don't really see me using this program in my teaching.  I guess if I knew another KW/PE teacher, I could maybe use hangouts to watch his/her class "live" and see how they teach.  I guess you could have a student who is not able to participate act as a cameraman, and host this "live feed" of another class.  However, if we were going to do this, I would use a more simple method, such as just recording it, and sharing the video.

If I had to stretch an idea out, I could possibly have my students partake in a hangout with kids from another school.  They could talk about different aspects of health and wellness, such as the principals of wellness or safety to keep in mind while exercising.  However, I would only use this with students who are unable to physically participate.  I would also be very weary of allowing students to be communicating with other students over technology with little to low supervision.

For my hangout I hosted (for no one) I talked technology with the biggest hit of the summer- Pokemon Go!  I talked about what it is, and how I really like it, in the fact that it gets kids (and adults!) outside and moving.  I can't tell you how many more people I've seen out and about because of this craze.

Thing 10: Google +

So, I just finished up creating my first Google + account, and, I'm not going to hold back here, it's really a Google - for me.  I did not see anything on this social network platform that I haven't seen somewhere else.  It was like Google tried to mix together Facebook and Twitter into one, and it turned out ugly.  Google + was very awkward for me to use.  I did not enjoy the user experience I went through with it.  I already have created a twitter handle, so I don't see myself using Google + past this course.

I guess I do find the communities pages worthwhile.  We've had discussions for years at Washburne about having a collective place for advisors to be able to share their ideas together in an easy format.  I think that this was an awesome idea that Emily had.  I wonder if it would catch on though.  I shared a simple post about ice breakers for a new 7th grade advisory.  I'll be interested if anyone else responds.  Megan also created a cool community about spreading positivity.  This is another avenue that often is overlooked in education- the social-emotional wellbeing of the adults in the building.  A few years back we had a (now defunct) committee that focused on this aspect.  With that committee now gone, this community could be a cool way of helping keep us all going throughout the year.

Thing 9: Twittering

I've been using Twitter for a few years now on a personal level, but only just jumped into the professional side of it this past school year.  At first, I used it just for getting "brand recognition" of the things I was doing out to the public.  If there was something interesting going on in my class or with Washburne Athletics, I would make a simple tweet, using the #CW36PRIDE or tagging the school's Twitter handle.  I never really used it for any other reason.  I follow various sports reporters on my personal account, but never really thought about following professional PE people.  I had never participated in a live chat either.

For the live chat, I chose to follow #healthyed.  At first, I was a little overwhelmed.  There is a lot going on in a twitter chat.  It's pretty hard for me to follow what everyone is saying.  It's tough going from one post to something completely different.  I did, however, find some cool articles and other ideas that I retweeted.  I think one of the cool things about retweeting something is that, yes, it allows others to see it, but it also gives me a point of reference to go back to reread something I saw earlier.   Something that stood out pretty negative with the chats was that it seemed to get spammed.  There was a "take this survey and win $500" tweet way too often.  It seems that people can abuse the hashtag rather easily.

I started following @SHAPE_America.  This is the Twitter handle for the national Physical Education advocacy group.  They also host the yearly National PE and Health convention.  They have retweeted some great articles about the importance of having daily PE in schools, and some other interesting articles.  I searched this past year's national convention, and saw some great tweets.  Someone took a video of their kids doing a game they learned at the convention.  It looked really easy to do, and the kids were having fun!  It's really easy to find new ideas like this, and read some great articles, using the hashtag search.  I will continue to search for other specific ideas, such as fitness testing and large group games.

Thing 8: Google Pics

I've been meaning to try out Google Photos on a personal level for some time now, I'm glad I was "forced" to take some time to explore it for this Thing!  I'm not a big fan of putting tons of pictures of my son on Facebook, and I had heard from a friend that he used Google Photos and shared it with his family.  It's a really easy way to share pictures with specific people, and having a little privacy.  

As an educator, I'm torn about how I would use it.  Although I totally understand why we have a "Do Not Photograph" list, but in having one, it keeps me from taking many pictures at all.  I'm afraid that if I take a picture of someone I shouldn't, I'll hear about it.  And it's not quite as easy as "just check the list."  Each trimester, I'll have about 120-140 students.  And the students I have change each trimester.  So it can get confusing trying to memorize who I can, and who I can't, take a picture of.

Now, if this list wasn't an issue for me, I could see a few instances where google photos could be useful.  If we had a school-wide account, and all teachers could upload pictures to it, I could see parents checking it every so often.  It could give a cool glimpse into what our classrooms actually look like with kids in it, and how they interact with the environment and each other.  I also like that we are able to upload movies to Google Photos.  I could upload a few short clips of kids doing different activities in class, showing how they collaborate and work together in live action.  For my own classroom, it could be cool if I had kids who were unable to participate to create these clips themselves.  They could film sections of class, edit the pieces, then upload them to Google Photos.  It would keep them involved, and allow parents, admin, and other teachers the opportunity to see how my classes look.

As always, these ideas tend to work so much better when dreaming about them.  One of my biggest fears (and one reason why I haven't used the iPads for filming/photography so far) is that kids will use the camera for the wrong reasons.  Capturing an unflattering picture of someone, then uploading it for all to see scares me enough to have not tried it yet.  Maybe I'm just paranoid, because I know other classes use pictures and video all the time.  

In addition, if we did have this school wide account to upload photos this easy, it would make the end of the year slide show a lot easier to put together!

Thing 7: Keep

My initial thought to using Google Keep was, "meh."  It was a cool idea, it saves paper, blah blah blah.  But then I started playing around with it a little.  I went through the tasks that we needed and downloaded the app, and now I am actually getting pretty excited to use it.  I was using a Chromebook and trying to add a picture, but all I could access was what I had on my drive.  After I got the phone app, I was impressed that I could take a picture from my phone, and immediately create a note with it.  

I then started tinkering with the reminders, and really like what I saw.  It synced across my laptop, Chromebook, and phone!  I could see using this in class with my iPad.  If I'm outside for class, and realize I don't have enough equipment, I can take a picture of it, set a reminder to go off at the end of class, and have it ready for the next class.  I also like that you can share a note with someone.  I wonder, if I set a timer for a note, share it with someone, do they get the reminder as well?

Thing 6: To Chromebook, or Not to Chromebook

Back during the first tech institute day last year, I attended a class on the Chromebook.  The first thing that caught my eye was how fast and reliable it was.  It booted up in less than a minute, and went straight to the something I know well- Gmail.  I think having this sense of familiar will make it much easier for the kids to use.  Not that they aren't familiar with iPads, but just adjusting to something new with the Chromebook.  As I used it (very sparingly) since then, and during a few of the Things, there are some features I like, and some I don't.

Positive Features

1. Fast boot-up- No more waiting to log in!  When students are waiting, they get bored.  When students get bored, they start to do things they shouldn't...
2.  Easy to use- If you know how to use a web browser, you know how to use a Chromebook.  If you are google savvy, then you will thrive with a Chromebook
3. Camera- Having a swivel camera makes it really easy for kids to add pictures/videos to a project.  They can video themselves and create a video diary, or they could use it to film each other reenacting scenes from Shakespeare.
4. Keyboard!- I hate typing on an iPad.  Handing out keyboards for iPads is time consuming, and yet another thing to keep track of.  
5. Ease of sharing- Using google docs is awesome for student group work.  Being able to use the extension of "Save to Google Drive" only increases this collaboration.  I think it would be much easier to use these online collaborations with a Chromebook
6. Durability- Although I'm sure a 7th/8th grader could find a way, I see the Chromebooks being much more durable.  There may have been 8-9 kids in my advisory who didn't crack their iPads this past year...

Negative Features

1. Lack of hard drive- For me personally, it's tough to not have my hard drive.  I have all of my files in convenient folders, and I know how to access everything.  Although I'm still getting used to google docs, I don't like having that as my main source of file storage.  
2. Touchpad- I had a hard time with the touchpad, compared to my MacBook Air.  It felt unresponsive.  I actually had to go get a mouse to use for the assignment.

In Summary, I think the Chromebooks would be great tools for students to use, but personally, I'll stick to my laptop.

Thing 5- Not Google Gold, Google Chrome

It's been awhile since I was able to get back in the swing of things for class, so I've got some catching up to do.  I'll be able to get some things explored as the baby sleeps!  Today's thing is all about Google Chrome.  I've used Google Chrome as my main browser for a few years now, but, by that I mean I've clicked the icon.  I really haven't used Chrome until now.  I never used the apps/extensions before, and I never "signed in" to Chrome.  I am pretty impressed by the vast amount of apps and extensions available.  This will definitely be something I look into using on my personal computer, in addition to my school laptop.

First App/Extension: Save to Google Drive

As simple as it sounds, this is a pretty amazing extension, if only for one reason- I can finally stop looking up how to do a screen shot!  I really like being able to share something like this as quickly as this enables.  As soon as you click the extension, you are able to go into your drive and share it with people.  However, after awhile of playing around with it, it seems I was only able to save pictures (screenshots).  I wondered if it would be possible to save pages as text, so it would be easier to make changes or modifications.  A right-click on the extension gave me some options, one of which included saving it as a google doc.  However, when I tried to use the extension, it still only produced an image.  This will have to be something I continue to tinker with.

Second App/Extension: goo.gl URL Shortener

I swear I am not being lazy and just picking the first two suggested extensions to review!  I actually really like this extension.  I send a lot of emails out to parents regarding where to find information about Washburne Athletics.  The link for that site is pretty long, and makes my emails to parents look longer than they should be.  Using this extension, I'll be able to keep the links short, and the emails "appear" interesting to parents.  Also, hidden in this extension, is a way to create a QR code for a link.  Although I have not used QR codes before, this is good to know how to easily create one in case I decide to use them.  One thing to note about the URL shortener- if you are typing the URL in directly, the caps matter!

https://goo.gl/FPIbma 

Third App/Extension: Human 3.0

For the third item I chose to review, I tried to think of some kind of app/extension that I could use with my students.  In 7th grade we teach the basic muscles of the human body.  We've always used this same crude drawing of a person with the muscles outlined.  It's tough to really tell where the muscles are, how big they are, and interact with the sheet of paper in anyway.  This app allows you to look at a human body, and not only see every muscle, but also all of the bones, nerves, ligaments, organs- you name it!  It is beautifully colored in, and has amazing details.  You can click on the individual muscle, and learn more about it.  This is definitely something I'll keep in mind and try to use this upcoming winter.  In addition, it has a section about conditions that people can suffer from.  I thought this could be another option for kids who are unable to physically participate to work on.  They could use this app to look up their condition and find more information about it.  This could be something else to use to keep the kinds involved.

Thing 4- Messing around with Google Apps for Education

Google Apps For Education

Google Apps are pretty darn cool.  These are great tools for collaboration, but more importantly, as long as you have internet access, you can have access to your documents!  I've "used" google docs before.  By this, I mean I've opened up a google doc and I've shared a google doc with someone.  But that's really the extent of it.  I've never really explored the different things you can do on it.  I've never used Google slides before.  After I imported a Powerpoint slide, I only noticed one small formatting issue.  Again, it would be great to always have access to these documents.

1. The first thing that really stood out to me was using the Google Calendar.  As I read the instructions on how to use the calendar, and the suggestion for keeping track of birthdays and important dates, I thought it could be a really useful tool for keeping track of birthdays on our team.  It's always nice as a teacher to know when your students have a birthday.  If each advisor input the birthdays of our kids, and shared the calendar with the team teachers, we would all know when our students had their special day.
2. Another aspect I thought could be useful with google apps was using the calendar to set reminders.  I am, unfortunately, a forgetful person.  If I don't write something down, I have a hard time remembering to do it.  I can now use the reminder aspect of the google calendar to put in important things I need to do at a certain time, such as a meeting.
3. Finally, I think I see something with technology I might be able to use in KW!  I am always trying to find ways to keep kids who are unable to physically participate in class actively engaged in learning.  I have this rough idea in my head that kids who are not physically participating for the day could use their iPads to create a google doc on the topic we are covering in class.  They could set up different sections for rules of the sport, muscles being used during different actions, or even a section for strategy.  I could see them writing a blog like this on our unit, then having other kids who are out as well, adding a comment to their blog or a comment to the google doc.  We could even open it up so kids from other KW classes can comment on their thoughts as well.  Definitely something I will keep in mind for the fall...

Post #3

I know this will be out of order, but this video has been stuck in my head, and I need it to end.

Just to be clear, I did not pick this video because I thought it was the most informative or entertaining.  In fact, I have no idea why I picked it.

Actual thing #1

I'm glad that I consider myself an life long learner.  One reason is that I am already learning new things, and I'm learning them through error!  I may have messed my blog up already, as I seemed to have titled the whole blog Thing #1.  More investigation is needed...

After reviewing 7 1/2 Habits of Effective Lifelong Learners, I know there are going to be some easy things I'll understand quickly, and some other areas that will take some dedication on my end to make sure I accomplish.

The Challenging Habit

I think, hands down, the most challenging habit for me will be "Accepting Responsibility for my Own Learning."  Back in the day, I may not have given my all in every class I took.  I knew how to cut corners and didn't really take in everything I should have.  I knew what I could do to get by.  During this learning process, I am going to make sure I do what I can force myself to stay engaged and keep the end game in sight.  What I learn during this class can and will help improve my teaching!

The Easier Habit

I won't call it the easiest habit, as I am not a master in the area, but I think the habit I'll do best with is using technology to my advantage.  I think this is very similar to what I mentioned as a downfall earlier.  I know what tech can do and how it can make my life easier.  I want to be able to use the tech available to do just this!  

The Most Important Habit

The biggest thing that I want to take away will be to teach/mentor/help others.  I want to learn the information we will be covering.  I find it fascinating and interesting.  However, (and I'm almost afraid to admit this) I do not actually see myself using a lot of this information in my teaching.  I am not afraid to use tech in the classroom, nor do I see it as a problem.  My big issue is that I think kids can have too much technology thrown at them during the day.  I can see when it would be useful to use technology in a KW class, but I also want time where kids are tech free.  This is where I plan to use my teaching with my colleagues.  If I can find something that might be useful for one of my team teachers to use, I will want to be sure to talk with them and show them how they could use it for their class.

Finally, as I repeated typed the word "Habit," I kept thinking about this picture, so I had to find a way to throw it in here.