February 2016

Taking the online class is a real commitment. Many folks think that it is the easy way to go. It can be an easy (as in convenient) way to go for many. I like that we have access whenever we want...it can be at 2:00 am if you can't sleep, or 5:00 am if you are an early riser...

What I like most, though, is that you are taking things you are "learning" in this class and applying them in your own classrooms. I hate to ever see anyone do busy work...this work is "authentic", and will hopefully make your own classroom enriched with some new sources and some new ideas to engage your students in learning.

Make no mistake...this course is lots of work and takes lots of time to complete. I think it is worth it. Besides, you don't have to find a parking spot or drive through snow to do your work. No babysitter needed!

What are your thoughts on online learning? Please reply below to this or anything else you would like to write a few sentences about!

Blogging in Your Content Area

Blogs can be used for many different reasons.  I use mine for professional purposes.  First of all, it gives me a way to communicate with those of you who are in my online class…and models blog usage so you can see how it might be incorporated in your classroom (or as a way to communicate with parents/guardians if you wanted).  It does allow you to communicate with a particular group way more easily than simply one-on-one.  And who hasn’t been tormented with many “dings” as folks reply to all to a group text?

In the classroom, blogs will definitely help you to get your students to write.  We know that whether we are teaching math, science, social studies, language arts-any subject-we need to get our students to write! Make no mistake; your students will be much more apt to write on the computer than on paper.  Another plus is that since the new testing is done on computer, students need to get more adept at writing (and typing) this way. I would start students writing on a blog very simply, perhaps getting them to give a couple sentence response to some topic that they are interested in and like to talk about.  This way, they can get comfortable with the process, rather than just school content.  Once they have the process down, then I would introduce blog posts for their responses that relates to the content I am teaching.

Certainly, there would need to be “teaching” to introduce blogs, along with some strong guidelines as to appropriateness and good etiquette (not to worry, you can delete inappropriate comments on your blog, but it still helps to put the onus on the students!).

Please comment on this posting by hitting Comment key below…tell what you think and how you might be able to use this tool with your students for the content area you are working on.  I know blogs aren’t for everyone, but please humor me for the purpose of this course.  After you have commented, you can comment on other posts…be sure to scroll down below to see other posts I have on this blog-you might find some of them interesting!

What is to love about Blogs?

I think that blogs are pretty cool things. This blog, a professional one that I started a few years ago, allows me to post some of my ideas and opinions about Ed tech and specific topics/tools. I also use it to show my online students (who are teachers) what a blog looks like, how to use one, and why blog.


There are loads of ways that blogs have really become a mainstream tool in recent years. When I see "hits" on searches I do for Ed tech or other educational topics, I always find myself on people's blogs-most of which are pretty religious about posting (I wish I was, but am not at this point of my life).



When I am looking at posts on my Linked In groups, many of them take me to blogs. There is so much to learn from them. I know a family who did a blog when they accompanied their daughter to the London Summer Olympics, which was so cool to really hear the details. Another dear young friend of mine and her husband just welcomed their first baby a few weeks ago...they started a blog a couple months ago to keep family and friends updated on the pending arrival..and now I am getting to see all the pictures and stories about Addison Elizabeth, even though she lives in Chesapeake VA.



Why would I use a blog with students? Simple answer-to get them to write...to get them to respond to an idea or a prompt...to get them to communicate! A blog can be tailored to whatever you want it to be...that is cool, and students like to write on them. Any subject area and topic can be used!
Did any of you keep a diary when you were younger? A blog is really a 21st century diary that you choose NOT to lock and keep secrets in, but rather share information and ideas with others.


What do you think? How might you use a blog?  Click Comment and write your ideas!

Online Class-Winter 2013

I love teaching online classes!  It is particularly fun to do this when you get to create your own content.  Although it takes me lots more time to find and create the content than it would if I used a text or someone else's content, I really think it is awesome to put it together.  As those of you in my current class may have noticed, I try to "go with the flow" sometimes and go in a direction that seems right for the group at the time.

Why do I like online?  Naturally, the idea of doing your work (or mine) whenever suits you is great.  Had I not flittered away my day today, I would not be doing this tonight...yet that is ok.  I can only imagine how much easier it would have been when I had young children at home if I could have taken some classes online! I also like the fact that with an online group, everyone has to participate...some are hesitant to get involved in class conversations when they are face-to-face.  I love the collaboration that happens naturally in an online group...teachers at all levels have so much to tell us...we learn so much from each other.  My students (teachers!) make me laugh so often, even though I cannot see them.

Do you know where anyone is right now?  Do you know if they are in their jammies and bunny slippers?  Do they have a Diet Coke, cocoa, or maybe a glass of wine?  It is just great to work like this!

OK, now to the subject of the week...please read the other posts I have below...then please reply below with a post to this one...share your thoughts about blogs...and online learning!

Starting the New School Year with Tech on your Mind

The start of the new year is a great time to change up your methods and pull in new things for the coming year.  A good example of this is with the use of Technology.

Check out the following site to get some great ideas for ice-breaking on the first or second day of school here:  http://zite.to/NuXBUA

Try one or two of these and share via responses to the Blog. 
Special thanks to Karen Marshall from MCESC for posting this link on Twitter.

Remember, your time to make a change is on the first day of school.  Be sure to capitalize on the beginning of school to try out some new things...Make 2012-2013 a year that you try new things with your students that include lots of technology!

Technology Planning

Why do Technology Planning?  This is a great question!  Keep in mind, there is the process of creating a technology plan for your district/building which is submitted to the State for approval.  This Technology Plan is particularly necessary when applying for E-Rate.  Writing a new Tech Plan is a long and arduous project.  You really need to talk to loads of people at every level to come up with your needs...and where you want to go in the future (in the case of current Tech Plan, that would be the next 3 years).

Previously, we used guiding questions from Edie Holcomb as a backbone for Tech Plans...Where are we now?  Where do we want to go?  How will we get there?  How will we know we are getting there?  How will we sustain our progress?  I think these questions make it so much easier to create a good plan.  They really can keep you on track...and encourage good planning.

Writing the Tech Plan and getting it approved is the start.  The real work comes in implementing the plan.  This takes buy-in from different groups in the district/school.  The Technology Department cannot do it all!  This is also why it is critical to include a variety of stakeholders in the planning process.  It helps to prepare a draft timeline for implementing your plan.  Different sections and different strategies in your plan will need different people to take the lead toward implementation. 

When you have a good Plan, it will drive the direction for new purchases.  This should eliminate the idea of folks buying "cool things" because they are new and fun, rather than purchasing "things" that fit the plan...that fit where we have decided we want to go.

A good Tech Plan is very important.  So is good tech planning, which includes a variety of stakeholders.  Implementation of the Plan is critical!

Remember, although the plan covers 3 years, you should do an annual update.  This would be the time you could add a few things to the plan that have come up since the plan was written. 

Wikis?  Why would I create one?

There are many reasons to create a wiki...a place for collaboration, a place for planning, somewhere to save your favorites sites, a place to post documents, etc. for use by a group, and much more!  I have created several wikis in the past...for many of the reasons I mentioned above.  One of my very favorite things to collaborate with on a wiki is Grant Writing.  When doing a wiki for a team working on a grant, I make a separate page for each section/question that needs to be addressed...in fact, I copy and paste from the RFP right onto the wiki so that everyone can see each page in isolation.  Members can use this area for brainstorming as well as to do some of the writing.  In a perfect world, you could probably do all the writing on the wiki!  I I also like that we can even jot down ideas that we want to remember to put somewhere in the grant-very handy.

If you are creating a wiki for use with the staff of your building, there are loads of things you can include.  Naturally, you could post information, forms, etc. as mentioned above.  You could also have staff contribute to pages to solve "problems" or issues without having a face-to-face meeting-a real time saver!  Another good thing is that you can make the wiki private, so nobody else will have access to see or edit what you have.

I know you are asking, "Why a wiki?  Can't I do all these things on other tools such as webpages, Google Docs, etc.?" You can do many of these tasks on other things, but sometimes a wiki is best, quickest to create, easy to manipulate, and can be either permanent or temporary.

What are your experiences with wikis?  Which tool do you prefer?  I generally use wikispaces, but there are loads of other tools out there.  What are your ideas?