Nocking the Arrow

Connecting with Mr. Bays Inspired by Brad Gustafson's ConnectEd Bingo , here is a challenge I created to help encourage connected, professional learning for our teachers during Connected Educators Month ( #CE15 ). The goal is for teachers to complete enough connected learning activities to score a bingo. A few extrinsic motivators, such as t-shirts and cookies, are thrown in for competitive fun. Our principal has offered to buy lunch for any of our teachers who complete all of the activities on the game board by the end of our first semester. (WHAT) Here are the intentional objectives of this professional learning format: (WHY) Encourage relationship building through virtual, as well as, face-to-face interactions Develop a culture of connected learning and digital innovation Gamified elements allow for personal learning, and fun Digital submissions allow "practice" of workflow processes common in our 1:1 learning environment The header lette...

"I have also been learning by experiencing the world. Through interacting with people from many different places I am beginning to understand about cultures different than mine as well as how they see themselves and me in their worldview. " - Caleb Silverman This is our fifth trip back to Secrets St. James . My wife and I use these yearly trips to disconnect from the daily grind while creating opportunities for face-to-face, high-quality connecting. Walks on the beach, quiet dinners, and sitting by the pool are the backdrops for sharing stories, reflecting on our previous year, and making plans for future adventures. Natalie said, "These palm trees are new. They're so green and beautiful. Are those orange or mango trees?" I pointed out new roofing and fresh paint, she noted the new patio furniture and the pineapples at the fresh fruit stand. It was then she noticed the white panels installed on the roofs of the main buildings, as well as, the tops ...

Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere. - Chinese proverb Like countless others, I have experienced a personal and professional rebirth as a result of connecting with other educators through a personal learning network (PLN). Connected educators frequently cite several key advantages of socially networked learning, including; personalization of learning, collaborative spirit, professional voice, global perspective, and most importantly, relationship building.  However, like other activities that we find fulfilling and enjoyable, connecting with others digitally is best done in moderation. When I eat too much ice cream too fast, I get a vicious headache. Comparatively, there are times when unplugging from our social networks is not only appropriate, but essential to our face-to face relationships. Family dinners, walking our dogs with my wife, fishing, and exercising are examples of times when I go comfortably into “ airplane mode ”.  ...

No one can logically argue that current and future education won't be based largely on our ability to leverage social networks for learning. There is plenty of rhetoric describing the emergence of web 3.0, but how many educators are practicing what they readily admit is the foundation of making our students "future-ready"?  I applaud Cale Birk for suggesting talk can be cheap, and it's time to feature action. In his post, " #EDUDO - The New Hashtag ", Cale asks educators to transparently share artifacts of learning using the Twitter hashtag, #EDUDO . Several years ago, my sons became interested in downhill skiing. It had been some time since I had been on the powdery slopes, but skiing presented an opportunity for the three of us to actively learn and grow our skill together. I wanted to be able to articulate and demonstrate safe and effective skiing to my sons. In order to do this, I did some online research, talked to experts at the pro shops,...

Ubiquitous access to unlimited information is creating massive adjustments to modern learning. There are some that say learning, in the traditional sense, is no longer necessary because of the instantaneous availability of boundless information. For example, I no longer need to memorize the names of all fifty states and their capitals because Google will provide me this information in a fraction of a second. These shifts in learning are causing many educators, and with good reason, to reshape their thoughts on the purpose and function of schools, and of education.   Whether informal or formal, information is feeding our learning significantly. With only 24 hours in a day, how can we possibly make sense of all of the information that is available to us? As with water, electricity, or air, I find it helps to have a process or plan for information flow. Three stages make up this flow model, input, processing, output. Each stage contributes to the overall understanding of a topic...

"How great would it be if every student could be connected to every other student by a web connected device?" This was my guiding question, and quickly became my quest, as I accepted a position as technology coordinator twelve years ago. This was before smart phones, iPads, 802.11ac, and 4G networks. One-to-One learning had yet to become an educational catch phrase, and our media-rich classrooms consisted of a desktop computer, a VCR, and a 600 lumen multi-media projector. Regardless of the name, a computer for every student was going to be my trophy. It would become my legacy as "the tech guy". Years later, as we are about to distribute iPads to all of our students, I have come to realize that I was aiming at the wrong target. Today, while eating fresh at Subway , I began whining about my revelation to my friend and colleague, Keith Sorensen . Not only does he usually pay for lunch, he's also one of the few people I know that will sit and listen to my wacky m...

This post is cross-published at Fractus Learning . The Internet has made news readily available, virtually instantaneous, and interactive. On the plus side, news via the web can provide diverse and global perspective. However, on the negative side, in the rush to be first with a breaking story, there are frequently inaccuracies. Web connected classrooms provide opportunities for students and teachers to read original material, discuss current events, and analyze multiple perspectives in search of truth. There are numerous ways in which readers can access news. Here are five free apps that can bring a steady stream of news, and information to the connected learner. CNN Flipboard News-360 YouTube TuneIn Radio For details, read the complete post;   Five Newsworthy Apps for the Connected Learner photo credit: Ines Njers via photopin cc

"Let's Learn Together" October, as you know, is Connected Educator's Month . Social media is being flooded with strategies and resources promoting greater connectivity in the name of learning. Can a learning management system (LMS) promote learning through greater connection opportunities? It would certainly seem so. Here are three ways  Schoology  advances learning through connections. Schoology updates and public resources can be shared to Twitter and Facebook . Schoology groups help students and educators learn together by sharing resources. Schoology integrates with popular productivity applications such as Google Drive and Evernote . Additional Reading Schoology Blog Schoology Knowledge Base - YouTube Schoology Support Center

CC Image - "Time" by Alan Cleaver As I write this post, I am once again reminded that time is our most precious, non-renewable resource.  Don’t we all wish we had enough time to do the things we need to do, as well as, the things we want to do. Like most educators, my daily task list keeps me busy throughout the day. So much so, that I can expect to bring at least a few hours of work home with me each night. The challenge becomes balancing the time needed to complete work-related tasks with time for family, friends, exercise, and rest. Oh, and there is one more thing, time to learn , converse, and collaborate, with my personal learning network . My growth mindset , and my desire to serve others means that I am comfortably suited to work my current job as a school technology coordinator. Every day presents exciting new challenges along with several intrinsic rewards. However, I feel that my effort...

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...