A few summers ago I was asked to teach at a summer camp for young gifted and talented students. The class I was teaching was CSI, so the students got to play with all sorts of things like evidence and special equipment. I had almost everything I needed to teach the class except a microscope.
I was working with a budget so I knew that I couldn't just go out and get a $1000 school microscope that I was used to having. So in a crunch I went to a local toy store and bought a $70 Digital Blue USB microscope and boy was I shocked when I started to use it.
First off, USB microscopes are way cooler for students to use than those regular laboratory-type ones. This one was light and plastic, with see-through parts so you could see all the insides of the microscope.
Next, the software that runs the microscope is the best part about it. You can turn on the top or bottom light, record video or just take a photo. Try doing that with a regular school microscope.
You can even pop the microscope off the stand and use it on a person's head to check for lice!
I used these features in my CSI class; students had to find certain parts of key evidence and then take a photo and email me a copy of the photo. For example, they had to match dirt found on a victim to six different dirt samples. This little $70 microscope did the job.
The lesson that I learned from this is that school technology does not have to be expensive to be good. It is not always the rule as you get what you pay for. Sometimes the best solutions to a school technology problem can be the cheapest.
Many times I feel like I am just chasing school technology, an idea that I am never going to catch.
The world of school technology changes everyday so I look for hardware and software that has the longest classroom life possible. If I can get three to four years out of technology I feel successful -- not guilty.
Sometimes I get emails from media/tech people complaining that they had a piece of hardware for only five years and now it needs to be replaced. Or better yet, "We have been using that math software for only ten years."
Come on people! Ten years. This is technology for crying out loud.
Trust me, by the time my hardware or software are getting over three years I am itching to get new.
We need to accept the idea that every time we buy new school technology, we need to budget to replace it in three to four years. For example, let's say your school just dumped $30,000 into new laptops, what are you doing about replacing them in four years? We always need to be thinking about replacing expired technology in our schools, instead of being surprised every time it comes up again.
When I work with administrators about this I usually get them to commit to putting some money aside every year for this very purpose. I ask them to show me what they are doing to keep their school technology fresh and current.
I have been ranting about the evils of the "audience of one" for a few years now, but in case you haven't heard about this I shall explain...
Often students are asked to do great projects that are only seen by their teacher or as I call it: the audience of one. Sure they might take it home to show their parents but the students of the 21st Century want so much more.
A lot of the project that are done at my school are posted online. This changes everything. When student realize that the world might see their work, they really step up their game. Some might say that I am crazy for posting the work of elementary students online, but I am not, in fact I am just the opposite. I take the online safety of my students very seriously and I balance that with the student's need to be creators of web content. We constantly review our web safety guidelines as we work on digital projects and in return I get the most amazing results. As you know from previous blogs, we have over 2000 subscribers on iTunes of our daily podcast.
The other night we hosted a red carpet night at the school where we showcased all of the digital video work using different school technology that is done at our school. Projects like claymation, animation, web-shows and our 5th grade movie. Not only were our parents blown away by the incredible work of our students but I think the students were really amazed at what impact their work could have on an audience. They made people laugh, cry and take notice. Something magical happens when a crowd does a standing ovation to something that the student was a part of.
So please, with every chance you get, give your students a larger audience for their projects than just you and your classroom -- you'll be surprised at what you get back.
Today I want to talk about the educational apps that I like for my iPad. A few weeks ago I wrote about how I hated that there were so many pre-school educational apps and not a lot for older students. Luckily, a lot has changed in only a few weeks.
Here is a list of apps I like for schools and students: Drawing Pad - a great little app that allows students to draw anything their little imaginations can think of. Magic Piano - a fun piano app that have different types of keyboards for students to tinker with music notes. Math Magic - an app for the younger students who want to practice their general math skills. PianoMan - a guitarhero-esk type app that allows for dueling piano keyboards, it is loaded with a lot of classical music. The Elements - if this is the future of textbooks, then count me in. When I want to amaze people with my iPad this is what I show them. Star Walk - another beautiful app that shows what is possible. SoundPaper - this app allows student to record lectures and classes while they take notes. PaperDesk - better than SoundPaper because you can sketch on it as well as make different notebooks. iBooks - reading books on the iPad is incredible, the screen is crystal clear and easy to follow.
I still believe that the iPad is a game-changer when it comes to school technology. I imagine a day when the only thing that students will need to bring with them to school is a tablet PC. I don't know if it will be the iPad but it is going to be a fun competition to watch.
I am currently reading the book Disrupting Class by Clayton M. Christensen and I am finally not feeling like such a freak. Let me explain...
The tagline to this book is: How Disrupting Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns. Which is what got me to buy the book in the first place and, I am happy to say, I was not let down. You see, I have always felt a bit like and outsider looking in, I want to try things differently, I hate the status quo. I want more, new and innovative ideas when working with school technology for students and teachers.
The premise of the book is that the way we learn doesn't always match up to the way that we are taught. So if we want our students to be able to make it in the new digital and global economy, we need to rethink our understanding of intelligence. Which means we need to overhaul our educational system.
I believe the perfect place to start is with school technology, after all we're expected to be constantly changing. If you are still teaching the same tech lessons that you did five years ago -- it is time for a change. Every summer I look at my tech curriculum and throw out the old and add the new.
For example, a few years ago when I was teaching middle school technology and taught a lesson about social media, which at the time it was about MySpace. If I was to give that same lesson today it would be about FaceBook instead. If I was to teach middle school students about MySpace they would make fun of me: "MySpace is so 2008 Mr. Flick."
What is innovative one year, can be a joke the next. So make sure your tech lessons are current and fresh.
Once when I was visiting a school they took me on a tour of their "modern computer lab" the students at the time were working on a worksheet about technology (for the record I hate worksheets) and one of the questions was to have the students label different computer parts, one of which was a diskette. Really -- a diskette. Come on people, we can do better than this.
Tech curriculum should always be in a state of innovation and change, we must keep up with the times.
I got quite a few emails about yesterday's blog on students that podcast, it seems that a lot of you want to know how my students podcast everyday.
First of all let me just say that my 5th grade students practically podcast by themselves, I am usually just outside the podcasting studio working at my desk. Here is how it all happens...
The assigned students show up at school 15 minutes early. I assign each student a certain day for two months, this gives them enough time to get past being nervous. So for example, one student might be the host for every Tuesday show and another might be the sound-tech for every Monday show. It only takes two students to do a podcast.
The students come into our studio (a room just off of our media center) and start to get the show ready.
The Host:
This student takes a new fill-in-the-blank script and starts by putting in their name and the sound tech's name. Then they fill in the date, announcements, what the hot lunch of the day is and then the sound tech will look up the lunch recess weather and they fill that in as well. They look up any birthdays and finally they look for a joke in a kid's joke book.
The Sound Tech:
This student sits down to the studio laptop, looks up today's lunchtime weather and starts up a soundboard program. The soundboard is loaded with our sound effects and music tracks (royalty-free music). The student does a quick sound check and the waits to do a rehearsal.
Both students do a rehearsal about 6 minutes before "show time."
The Show:
Just before the show starts the sound tech will start our digital recorder and then signals the host to begin. They do the show, complete with music and sound effects and then bring me the digital recorder as they go off to their first class.
Post Show Production:
I take the digital recorder and copy the MP3 to my computer and upload to our website which is connected to our iTunes account which means the show is listed on iTunes with a few hours of being posted on our website. Done, my time is about three minutes to do all of this. I told you I was a lazy podcaster! Podcasting is one of the easiest pieces of school technology to incorporate into your schools.
To check out our podcasting, go to iTunes and search for KBOB or Bethke Elementary.
Today I had the chance to show off my podcasting 10-year-olds. It was part of a demonstration I was giving on what 4th grade students are capable of doing with current school technology.
So in front of 450 local business leaders my two little podcasters did it. I am telling you, I have never been so proud. They were fearless.
I have been podcasting with my students for the past year. Every day they do a podcast of the school announcements each with a little personal twist of their own style. At first it was difficult to get it all together but then we started to work out the bugs and now the students run the whole show. They have over 1700 subscribers on iTunes -- students from all over the world.
The digital natives of today are so used to seeing the world as a potential audience.
You just wait, it won't be long before they are wanting their own dressing rooms with a star on the door.
If you would like to hear our podcasters, go to iTunes and search for KBOB.
When the idea of students using flash drives (or thumb drives, or USB drives, or whatever you want to call them) first occurred to me I thought "This is going to be great! No more troubles with students taking files to and from the school to their home computers."
This year every student came to school with their own flash drive...
Oh, how wrong I was!
Although my idea was great, the practice of this idea was horrible.
Have you ever had to deal with any of these situations?
1) Student: Mr. Flickinger have you seen my flash drive? It has my report on it and I need to print it out and turn it in. Me: Does your report live anywhere else but on your flash drive? Student: No.
2) Student: Does a flash drive still work if it has been through the washer and dryer?
3) Student: Mr. Flickinger my flash drive doesn't work any more. Me: What are these marks? Student: Oh yeah, my dog chewed on it a bit. Me: Are you kidding me, you are trying the ol' THE DOG ATE MY HOMEWORK line?
By trying to solve one problem with technology, in this case a simple flash drive, I created an even bigger one. Welcome to the world of a tech integration specialist.
Many visitors to my blog have asked me questions about the Tech Integration Workshop, I would like to spend a few minutes answering some of the most asked questions...
Question #1: Who is this workshop for? The workshop is for anyone who is in charge of educational technology for their school or district.
Question #2: How long will the workshop take? Most people take about six months to complete the workshop. You set your own pace and schedule.
Question #3: What do I get out of the workshop? By the time you are done the workshop you will be an expert on technology integration and embedding 21st Century Skills into lessons. You will also have a School Technology Plan up and running.
Question #4: How much does the workshop cost? Although the workshop is free, I do recommend different books and products to buy, plan on spending a couple of hundred dollars on books and supplies just to get started.
Hello everyone and welcome to this “Watch First” video for SchoolTechnology.Org - and this is the Tech Integration Workshop. My name is Brad Flickinger and I work as a Tech teacher here in Colorado, as well as a Tech Integration Specialist. I get to go all throughout the US and Canada helping schools and school Districts embed and incorporate technology skills as well as 21st Century skills into their curriculum.
Now, where you are at right now is by Blog. It is a result of the work that I do when I work with teachers and Districts; of all the little ideas that I get - things that work, things that don’t work - I have decided to start recording it, mostly in a video Blog format.
And what you are part of right now is this Tech Integration Workshop where, when I have worked with Districts, they have said, “Hey, could you bundle that all together and tell us exactly what steps you do?” So I was able to write it all down, and I got the twelve Steps all figured out - and this is what I do every time I go work with school Districts. And that is where you are at right now, is by Blog that has all this information on it.
Now, you should be the person for your building or your District that is in charge of technology. And these people go by lots of different names: Mediatech Specialist, Tech Integration Specialist, Building Tech Coordinator - all these different things - but basically it all comes down to the same thing: you are in charge of the technology for both either your building or for your District.
Now, you might be a teacher or an administrator sneaking into this course - and that’s great! So you will get a lot out of this workshop as well - but it really is meant for those people that are kind of the “go-to” people when it comes to technology for schools.
Now, the first thing you should really do is bookmark or follow this Blog. If you already have a Google account you can just click the “Follow Blog” button - but really you need to know where this is so you can come back and check back on it often. So, that is Item number one.
Item number two is set up a time and a reminder - so put a post-it note on your screen or something - to come back here a few days from now or a week from now, so you can keep going through the course.
The Workshop is twelve steps long; so you will want to set up time to be able to work on it every week.
Now, some people, when they see all the different Steps in this Workshop, they think “Ah, you know, I just really need to go to Step Eight, or do Step Three”. You know what? Try not to cheat, okay; don’t cheat with this. Just start with Step One and do all those Steps, or the Action Items, that I tell you in each Step because I build upon them from Step to Step.
And in Step Eight I am going to be referring to things that we have done in the previous seven Steps. So some of this might be a review for some of you - and others it might be totally new ideas.
So, I work really quick through it; these are short little videos that I do - but try your best not to cheat. You will get much more out of the Program if you just follow it along.
And some people ask me, they are like, “Brad, how long is this going to take?” And they see twelve Steps and they think, “Ah, twelve weeks I can get this done.” Well, the reality is that some Steps take very little time at all; you know, you have got to order a couple of books, join a few Nings - it might take you an hour.
Other Steps are going to take you weeks and maybe even a month or two to do: a Step like “Meeting with Teachings and Embedding Technology into Curriculum” - that could take a lot of time.
So for the whole course, if you can put in a couple of hours a week you should probably get through this in six to seven months, after getting through all these Steps. But at the end it is going to be great because you are going to have all this technology embedded and incorporated into your schools.
Now, I am going to just assume that you have got great tech skills because on my Steps I am just going to say things like, “Download and install iTunes on your computer.” Well, you know, I am not going to take you… hold your hand and tell you every little button you need to click on - you are going to, obviously, know how to do those types of things. So I am not going to waste your time.
Now, the reality is that you can’t really get through this Program without spending some money; so I hope you have got some professional development money or some building budget money that you can spend on the books that I recommend, the subscriptions that I recommend - those types of things. It is not money for me - it is money for these things that you need to have to make you a great Tech Integration Specialist; because, like any course that you take at University, you need to have curriculum; you need books, you need those types of things. And I am going to be recommending those.
Now, also that goes hand-in-hand with the fact that I am very opinionated when it comes to school technology and 21st Century skills. So I am going to tell you exact brands that I use when it comes to hardware and software; product names, Wikis that I use, books that I read - so and I am very opinionated. And you are going to get that throughout this whole course. And try to follow along; try to get exactly what I tell you to do, because I have been testing it in the schools that I have worked with and in my own school every day.
So, you know work around that. And I am sorry if I offend some of you, and I am sorry if I say I don’t like products that you maybe love - and we can maybe talk about that later in the feedback slide that comes up. But that is the reality. I am going to be recommending actual products for you to buy.
And now, since we are talking about school technology, technology changes! So under each Lesson should be a little area that says “Updates to this Video”; and I will put in there, if I have changed my mind on a Wiki that maybe you should be subscribing to, or there is a new something that comes along like a new Podcast; I will just put it down there. So check that. And then if it gets to be too much, I might just re-record the Screencast or the presentation about that. But always check for changes because things happen - especially in technology.
Now, this is also the “funnest”, since you can watch me in high-def and I have recorded these and uploaded them to YouTube and they are available in 720p. So go ahead and change that if you want to. Now, I didn’t do this so you could just, you know, count the hairs on my beard or something! But really I know that some people use this for professional development to go up in front of a group of six or seven building Tech people, and so they will put it up on the screen. And so this is nice - so you are not going to see it all pixilated and blurry but you can actually watch it in high-def up on a big screen. So that is why I have really done it. But if you are just watching it on your computer, the 360p is just fine.
Now, you will need, obviously, a computer, broadband internet; headphones are a really good idea since most of this is done with a video Blog, so you can listen to me privately; and, you know, probably a notebook, and obviously maybe a folder in your bi-documents called the “Tech Integration Workshop” - just so you can download PDFs and keep things organized in that way. So you need to set things up on your end.
And if you come across anything that you would like to see included in this Workshop, go ahead and send me an email; just right there on my Profile side of this Blog has the contact information. And you can send me your ideas as well as feedbacks, and your opinions on what I am doing. And if there are any typos or anything like that, send it back to me. The quality of this work is very, very important to me. So please participate and give me feedback on any of your ideas that you have.
Alright, now we are down to the last two slides. So, down below this video is a link to a pre-assessment; it is a short little pre-assessment. So go ahead and take that pre-assessment. And it is kind of where your tech skills are as far as tech integration. And then when we are done the twelve courses, the twelve Steps, then you will take the post-assessment; it is so that you can just see growth. And it is private, it is just for you - so go ahead and take it and file it away - but it just gives you an idea to think about as we move through this course.
And then the last thing - and this is THE most important thing - is download that PDF that has the checklist for this course, so that you can follow along from Step to Step and make sure that you are getting every point done. That is the only way this works; is you have got to go through this and make sure that you accomplish every one of the Action Items and you learn every one of those points that are under the “understanding” part; that you understand these different concepts and those types of things.
So go ahead and download that; print it and get ready to come back. And, hey - let’s right now go off to Step One and let’s get started!
So, once again, my name is Brad Flickinger and this is my Blog, SchoolTechnology.Org - and I will see you in Step One!
Atomic Learning did give me permission to show bits of their training videos on my video blog.
Transcription of Videos
The Lesson
Welcome to Step 6 of the Tech Integration Workshop here at SchoolTechnology.Org. This one is entitled “Get Buy-In From Your Administration.”
Now, we have to face the harsh reality that us, as Media Tech Coordinators, or Specialists, or whatever you might be called in your building really do not have enough bite to your bark to change the building. And that is because the teachers (and no fault of their own) but they have so much on their plate in trying to meet State standards, and National standards, and “No Child Left Behind” - all these things that are pushing down on them - that if you approach them and say, “Hey, I want to do some 21st Century skills!” you are really going to maybe push them too far. I mean, they have got so much that they have to get done, alright? And without kind of the blessing of Administration or the assignment from Administration they just will not make it a priority.
Now, if you can’t get this step to work, you can still go forward but it just will be that much harder - so you really need to have the buy-in from Administration. So you need to get them on your side. And how I do this is I just ask for three weekly meetings; so just say something like, or send an email saying, “Hey, could I see you every Tuesday afternoon for the next three weeks - I want to discuss the technology plan for our school?” And set it up that way.
And let me tell you how these meetings go: you will present to them such a nice little “Pretty Principle Package” - with a little bow on it practically - saying that you are going to take care of all of this for them, and for the school and for the teachers; but you really just need the Administrator to present it to the teachers and to make that assignment to the teachers, and that is how it is going to work - but you will take care of all the rest.
So, let’s review what happens in each one of these three meetings.
So, Meeting Number 1, you introduce the idea of 21st Century skills and talk about why they are such a priority for your teachers and your students. And you should know this - I mean, you have been reading the books, you have been watching the podcasts, and listening, and reading Wikis - you know, all those things that you have got, that you should have enough evidence to back up the words that you are saying; that you believe and know that 21st Century skills need to be a priority for your building.
And then you volunteer to take care of it. You say, “Listen, I will handle all the details, all the legwork - whatever needs to get done, I will take care of that if I just have the Administration giving the assignment of it.”
You will put together a list of their grade-level artifacts and all the costs that are going to be involved in making this go forward, and that you would like to have the students and teachers to get here within the next eighteen months. You need to kind of make it a priority. Sometimes I don’t put like an expiry date, like eighteen months; I just have Administrators to say, “This is what we are going to work on and we are going to work on it until it gets done.” And that explains to everybody; that gets them all saying, “Okay, let’s get it moving forward.”
Alright, so that is Meeting Number 1.
So, Meeting Number 2, you come back with a very simple Technology Plan. And underneath this video I will have a link to basically the template that I use that is very simple - it all fits on one page.
And you know, I have been consulting on Technology Plans for schools for years. And I have been guilty of making those huge documents - you know, fifty/sixty pages long - of the School Technology Plan for the building; and it doesn’t need to be that complicated, because that just scares people away.
You want a simple - try to get it down to one page - Technology Plan, with just the basics on there. And then I show the Principal what is going to be involved with hardware, software and services like subscriptions and those types of things.
And I show them also the 6-Question Assessment - and I will have a link below this video for that as well - that I need THEM to do. So when they have their annual reviews, or every six months - however they review with teachers - that they will sit down and ask them these six questions so that teachers know that this is coming; that they will be held accountable for 21st Century skills for their students. And that is how you get finally some bite to your bark.
And then you ask for a school-wide meeting to introduce this Technology Plan, or the School Technology Plan, for the teachers.
And then Meeting Number 3 is the meeting that you have all the teachers there, and that you basically want the Administrator to kind of open up the meeting and explain that 21st Century skills are a priority for the building, and that you have been asked, as the Media Specialist, or Media Tech person, to take that on and be responsible for it.
So they might put up on an overhead or something the School Technology Plan so that everybody can see what that is; and then you take over from the Administrator and kind of explain how it is going to be painless, it is going to be fun - you are actually going to take work OFF of their plates so you will help alleviate some of that heavy workload that they are under.
And then you should give a presentation about 21st Century skills so that everybody understands what they are. So when you talk about creativity and innovation, they are all like, “Oh, I get what that is!”
So that is basically how you get Administrator buy-in. So that is the three meetings. That is how to do it. Remember to put a nice little bow on it all when you meet with the Principal!
And let’s now go to the Action Guide and get down to the nuts and bolts of how this is going to happen.
The Action Guide
Alright, let’s get started in the Action Guide Items for Step 6, where you have to get buy-in from Administration.
Now, of course the Number One thing that you want to do is meet with your Administration, which most times is going to be a Principal of your school. So you have got to prepare for those meetings; have everything well laid-out. And you are trying to make things as simple as possible - you are not trying to overwhelm your Principal; you are trying to in fact take workload off of them by saying, “Listen, 21st Century skills are needed in our schools; and let’s just take care of this before it becomes mandated by the State or by the District. Let’s really get proactive, I guess, about these things.”
So, prepare well for those meetings. I don’t know how you interact with your Principal - you know that person best - so prepare really, really well so that when you go in for those three meetings you have everything ready to go. Especially when you meet with the teachers; really be positive; that “This is going to work out great” and that you are going to relieve the workload off of both Administration and the teachers themselves.
And trust me - it doesn’t means that it all goes onto your back and that you have all this work to do; but it will make things better in the long run when you have all these great skills in your building.
So, that said, that is Number One - prepare for those meetings.
Now, the next thing I have on my list here of my book is that I want you to go to a website called Weebly.com - let me just go into there. Okay. Now, Weebly is a great place for free websites. And I am going to give you the link to my account that I use at Weebly, just for my own personal class website. And I am going to log in and show you how this works.
So, the next step I guess is to make a Weebly account. It is free, it has an Education Module - see, here is the “Weebly for Education”; so it has a couple of different elements to it. Let me go down here to “Mr. Flick’s Computer Class” and I am going to just edit my site. Alright.
So, here is just my basic website here. And it is pretty self-explanatory how this whole thing works. You can go here to “Pages” and add more pages; you can change your template to whatever look you want, and you can add multi media items like photo galleries and files, these types of things.
So I just have some basic pages here. So the reason I want you to get this account is if you don’t already have a website, alright? Get one. This is the one we use for all of our teachers in our building - this works really good. Weebly is a fantastic way of being able to make a website because you can access it from anywhere you have computer access. It is a Web2.0 tool.
And I know there are lots of free websites out there - so if you have got one that works great for you, fantastic! But what I like about this is all the teachers do “Classroom News” which is essentially a blog; and every Thursday I try to do another blog. And so here… and I… one or two sentences, that is all I do - but imagine if you get into this and that you have your classroom website, when you go to ask teachers to do the same thing, they will see the work that you have been doing, alright?
So here is my Archive. My archives go back four months now because of working in my building to get my teachers kind of transposed over to using Weebly as their classroom website. And it makes beautiful websites. That’s all I can say about that.
So if you don’t already have a website for you, as an Educator, go ahead and make a Weebly account - and it looks great. I am just going to show you what mine looks like from the outside here; so let me just go to “cflickin.weebly.com”. Alright. So there’s what it looks like when you are on the outside looking in. So if you want to ever see photos of what my kids are doing - we just got through a big module on Lego we do, so here are all the photos. And look at the Gallery - so I can click on this Gallery right here; it pops up a nice Web2.0 Gallery; and just click the next button here - it goes through all these things beautifully.
Okay, so that’s Weebly. Again, if you don’t have one, get one of those - and start blogging on it. Alright.
If you do have an “Atomic Learning” account - which I keep suggesting that you have because it will make your work so much easier - I want you to spend time (let me just go log in to my Atomic Learning) in the “21st Century Skills” part of this. Okay, so let’s just let this load up. Alright, there’s my account - so let me just log in. Alright, so I am just going to click on the “Home” button up here in the navigation bar and go down to “21st Century Skills”. Let me just show you the power. If you have not already been in “Atomic Learning”, this is going to just kind of blow you away.
Not only can you find - maybe I’ll show you that in just a moment - okay, so let’s look at “21st Century Skills”. There’s a Teacher Assessment, Student Assessment - and look at these concepts. This is where I really want you to spend some time in here, before you meet with your Principal. Go through these videos; go through and take a look at them, especially under this “Concepts” right here, of all the different 21st Century Skills - look at them; they are five minutes long / two minutes long / three minutes long - you can just kind of blow through these really quickly and understand deeply what is going on with 21st Century Skills out there.
And then I want to show you one really important one: this “Infusing 21st Century Skills into your Activities”. I am going to open that up and just give you a kind of a peek at what they look like. So let me just load up; it starts to play:
Screencast:
“The tutorials in the Atomic Learning 21st Century Skills Collection can contribute to a general understanding of 21st Century themes and concepts. But putting these into practice may seem like a monumental task. How can you begin infusing your own activities with opportunities for students to practice and master 21st Century skills?”
Let me just close that. So if you have an account, definitely go through these “21st Century Concepts”, especially the “Infusing” one - and I have probably broken some copyright law showing you that little snippet - but hopefully that works out there.
Alright, so that’s what I am talking about there; so spend some time in there. I wanted to show you - I will be showing you this in other Steps - how great this is, for me, as a Tech person in the building. When you go in here to their “Find an answer to a Tech question”, this is what saves me all my time; is that my teachers all have access to this, so when they need to learn how to do something - like let’s just say “Google Docs” - they want to learn how to do something in Google Docs (and they will of course probably do a better question than I just did then) but how to maybe make a new spreadsheet, how to make a new documentation - all of these things; they have got 46 items under Google Docs. Look at all these here.
So, let’s see. “Renaming a document”: go into there and again it opens up a Screencast of how to rename a document:
Screencast:
“When you create a new document, Google Docs uses the first…”
See how quick that was to answer my question? Saves me time. Alright. But we are not here to talk about that.
So, let’s also talk about your assignment in here: so you have read in the “21st Century Skills” book you should have read that first section and learned a lot more about 21st Century Skills.
So the next assignment then is to (let me look at the Table of Contents right here) definitely Part Two; so that is Chapters 3, 4 and 5. And please log into the Group that we have here in Google Groups and start participating in the Forum about the books; so if you have questions or comments; interesting things - I mean, mine is just highlighted with all sorts of things I came across in that first section, of things that just made me really think when it came to 21st Century skills and the things that I like, you know - look at this: charts and highlights; all these things that I liked when I was in here, that I pulled out and kind of put into my notes. So that is the other part.
Alright, let’s take a look at the one-page Tech Plan. I am just going to log into my Google Docs here. Alright, so, “Sample School Technology Plan”. Here of course is my editable document that you will see; just it is linked down below this.
So you want this very simple for everybody to follow along: simple goals, simple roles and responsibility - who is going to do what? So it outlines it all so it is not like, “Oh, that’s not my job!” - no! “This is what you have to do.” And it is just great. So try to just distill it down to just the simplest terms so we don’t have a sixty-page Technology Plan. So that is really important. So use this as a framework and come up with your own when you meet with the Principal.
And then I wanted to also show you - let me close this here - the 6-Question Assessment. And these are just from the ISTE Standards for Teachers. A simple scale: 1, 2, 3; Never, Sometimes or All the Time. And so when the Principal sits down for an annual review with the teacher, it is, you know, “Do you use technology in your lessons to facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity?” And then of course they have prepared to answer these questions and they are like, “Yes, we used like Google Earth and we were able to go and explore all the things that we were studying about, about Egypt” or those type of things. So they just were using that kind of an idea to use technology to inspire student learning.
And then it might be, “For creativity, I had the students do X, Y, Z using the computer.” - so those types of things; just very simple questions. Again, not drawn out to fifty/sixty questions, but just six questions.
And of course the seventh one is here: “What are you going to do to improve your score?” so that every year the teachers are trying to build up their score. And of course they will get to a point where they have a perfect score, and then it is kind of, “What are you doing to keep everything fresh?” - those type of things.
Not only do I work the greatest job in the world as technology teacher, I also get to work with schools and districts all across the country on improving technology education as tech integration specialist.
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