Nocking the Arrow

The increasing popularity of school 1:1 programs, particularly those using iPads, is creating a growing collection of resources to help students become more responsible with the devices, as well as, more effective connected learners.  Here are a few resources that could help reinforce the messages that promote positive behaviors. Pledge for Digital Citizenship - Edudemic, Katie Lepi Printable Digital Citizenship Poster - Edudemic, Katie Lepi Student iPad Oath - multiple versions, original version shared by Lisa Johnson iPad Expectations Assessment - Google form to reinforce the Authorized User Agreement And here are a few more interesting iPad resources... 1:1 iPad Class - Pearltrees, Kathy Casey iPads in the Classroom - Kathy Schrock iPad in Education - Apple.com Digital Classroom Etiquette - Nocking the Arrow There is much more out there. What are your favorite iPad support resources? How do you reinforce positive iPad behavior? Thanks for reading and s

One month into our school year, and this year's 1:1 expansion brings us up to 65% of the students, and 100% of our faculty, having iPads. Lines are being drawn in the sand, but not along the issue that you might expect. We have several teachers that are using social media to open up a world of relevancy and authenticity to their students through the iPads and their web connections. We have many teachers that trying to find their way, balancing pedagogy change with the demands of standardization and evaluation. There are several other teachers that would like to lock down the student iPads, along with restricted access to social media, because of the distractions they create around our high school. To filter, or not to filter, this is the topic currently open for debate. Before giving my perspective on this, I am asking for your thoughts on this topic.  How restrictive should web content filters be in schools?   Your comments are welcome and appreciated. As you woul

A few my colleagues, I wish there were more, are interested in getting their students blogging on a consistent basis. The arguments for student blogging are numerous and well-documented with one of the most persuasive points being that students tend to write more frequently, thoughtfully, and thoroughly for authentic audiences. These same colleagues were looking for a work flow solution to collect, review, and share their students' blogs. Flipboard to the rescue! A short while back, I published a post highlighting the reasons why Flipboard was quickly becoming my "do-it-all" app for the iPad. Flipboard is a 1:1 teacher's best friend, or at least one of their best friends. So, Charlie, Sean, Gary, and Jen, this one's for all of you! This post explains how to collect and share student blogs using Flipboard. Kudos to Sue Waters , Richard Byrne , and Joe O'Brien for blazing the trail on this strategy. Make sure that you have the Chrome web browser ins

Is there anyone alive that wouldn't like to make themselves better? I had the opportunity to speak to our student body about   Internet Safety . After covering material on cyber bullying, digital footprints, and intellectual property, I decided to share some perspectives on self-improvement through becoming a school and community contributor. The inspiration for this presentation came while I was home from school, sick in bed, and had just watched the Angela Maiers TedTalk, "You Matter" . I consider it a must-see for educators. There are others that contributed to the themes shared in this presentation; Stephen Covey , Carol Dweck , Daniel Pink , John Wooden , Boyan Slat , and Kid President . The main points were... Build a personal learning legacy for our school, and the world Adopt a growth mindset so that personal challenges are viewed as opportunities to grow and learn (learners vs. non-learners) Recognize and use personal gifts for the betterment of others

This was the message that was shared on the electric marquee sign out front of my son's high school this morning... WANT BETTER GRADES DO HOMEWORK I am taking issue with this message. How about you? What is your take on this message? What message would flash across your marquee sign?

There are many, in fact countless, articles and posts trumpeting the educational benefits of blogging. I have written a half-dozen of them myself. But are there compelling reasons why all learners should consider writing blogs? I offer you these three compelling reasons why all learners should be blogging; becoming well-googled, telling your story, and sharing your passions. Compelling reason #1 - become " Well-Googled " , a phrase popularized through the writing of Will Richardson and frequently used to describe the process of building a positive digital footprint. I typically ask the participants in my social media workshops to " Google " themselves and each other, and then report back through a class discussion board. Go ahead and give this a try now if you would like. What did you discover? If you're like most folks, you likely found information that surprised, and maybe even left you feeling vulnerable, or that your privacy is threatened. People can

In Tech Time Saver #1 , I summarized how RSS Readers such as Feedly , Zite , and Flipboard could save time by delivering pre-curated content to your web-connected device. My appreciation for Flipboard has grown substantially since reading Sue Waters terrific post on The Edublogger . Other than looking sweet on the iPad, Flipboard is fast becoming my favorite " do everything " app for information, learning, and sharing. Here is how Flipboard can be a time saver for connected learners like me. Flipboard can be used as a social media "aggregator". Social networks such as Twitter, Google+, and Linkedin, can be subscribed to, and reviewed alongside your favorite articles and videos. Efficiently, subscriptions can be created based upon social media criteria such as, Twitter hashtags, or Google+ circles. As with other popular RSS readers, your favorite content can be shared with a single click out to your social networks. Flipboard can be used as the "reader&q

How was I to know what a significant impact an old sofa would have on learning? A few weeks ago I saw a tweet proposing that a few comfy pieces of furniture in a classroom had cured habitual tardiness. I then found several blog posts that explained how student behavior had dramatically improved with the introduction and strategic placement of comfortable furniture and soft lighting. Well, if a comfy couch modifies behavior, and helps improve learning in the classroom, could it do the same in an office? The answer, based upon just a few days of empirical evidence, is yes. As school technology coordinator, I have committed myself to support professional development this year using two avenues, individual or small group training sessions, and crowd-sourced, social media interactions. The problem with option one was, even though the office door is always open, very few individuals would step in, sit down, and discuss instructional technologies with me. I could take my show on the road,