Classroom 2.0 Fifth Anniversary Book Project Posted on Scribd
Awhile back, Steve Hargadon put out a request for authors to write chapters of a book that would be curated and compiled in a written anthology called, “The Classroom 2.0 Fifth Anniversary Book”. The project was put together by three leaders in education, Steve Hargadon, Richard Byrne, Chris Dawson, and the Classroom 2.0 Community. The project was completed in 2012 and so far there have been over 61,000 views of the book chapters.
There are chapters written by the best and brightest of the educational community in the book and the beauty is this project produced a quality written publication that is completely FREE! Regardless of what component you partake in the educational process, there is something for everyone is this excellent publication. The book has been available for some time and I wanted to make sure that everyone heard about it and knew the book could be read at the Scribd site. Be sure to check it out and let me know what you think!
Got 2 Grams for $40?
Recently a comedian, Nathan Fielder, challenged his Twitter followers to text their parents that they ‘got 2 grams for $40′ and then send a second text apologizing for texting the wrong person.
Although the responses from the parents that were alarmed by the text messages they received were hilarious, many parents freaked out and were worried that their children were buying drugs. Some parents took the prank in stride but many freaked out. I am all for communicating online, students/teens using Twitter and creating a digital footprint and online presence. More importantly though is the notion of teaching teens about having a positive digital footprint. This prank is an excellent teachable moment about making sure the things shared online are things that will further academic ventures, careers or online reputations and represent you in a positive light.
I posted some of the text messages sent between the child and parent below. Hopefully the parents and teens deleted the text messages so that when employers or colleges search online for a student’s/employee’s online presence, these tweets or status updates won’t show up anywhere online. Just become things are deleted doesn’t mean that things posted online cannot be retrieved and students need to be made aware of this fact.
If you received a message like the ones in the prank, how would you handle the situation? Were you one of the parents that did receive one of the prank text messages? Weigh in and share your thoughts below!
CNN iReport Teacher Appreciation Contest
Source: CNN iReport News
Teacher Appreciation Week starts May 6th, 2013 and CNN’s Student News area is sponsoring a ‘Teacher Appreciation’ contest. Students create a video telling why their teacher is awesome and then the videos are uploaded the CNN iReport site.
The contest page details include,
Here’s your chance to tell everyone about your favorite teacher!
We don’t just want to know who he or she is. We want you to tell us what superlative you would give your favorite teacher. Most cheerful, most supportive, most likely to be awesome! Start sending your videos in now. Then watch your inbox for our email with the next steps.
The deadline to submit is May 3rd. Remember, no music. Just you, the camera, and your superlative suggestion for your favorite teacher.
This page hosts the videos that have already been uploaded with students sharing why their teacher is appreciated and what makes them such an awesome educator here: http://ireport.cnn.com/topics/960290. You can also have your students upload their videos to the same page. Deadline to post videos is May 3rd, 2013 (next Friday) so make sure those videos are ready to go prior to May 3rd!
Glide App – Free 50 GBs of Storage Space
Glide, created by Transmedia, announced an all new app/service for use on a Windows 8 or Android device. According to Google Play, Glide,
Glide connects your devices and cloud services so that you have access to all of your files no matter where they are stored. With Glide you can easily share and publish files and web content from your PC or mobile device. Glide automatically converts file formats when needed for easy sharing with friends and family!
- Access photos, music, video and documents.
- Play slideshows, music and video playlists.
- Search for files across various devices and cloud services.
- Share and publish photos, music, video and documents with friends and family.
- All the time, anywhere access to all of your files!Microsoft Windows 8 Store
Google Play Store
The new Glide Apps/Service are free. If you download the Glide App and register for a new Glide account before May 5th, you will also receive 50GBs of free storage. This offer is exclusively for existing Glide Account holders and will expire May 5th 2013. [We expect the Glide Apple iOS App to be available in the App Store shortly. We will notify you as soon as it is available. Existing Glide Apple Users will receive the same offer.]
Glide sounds very similar to Dropbox, Box.com, and Sugar Sync. Don’t miss this opportunity – the offer expires May 5th in order to receive the 50gbs of storage!
EdmodoCon 2013 – Presenters Get Ready
Edmodo is a great secure learning environment and network for use with students. Teachers and students can communicate with one another in an environment that is password protected and safe for students of all ages to use. Edmodo sponsors a free virtual conference called EdmodoCon and the call for presenters has just gone out. Anyone who is interested in presenting for the conference be sure to submit your proposal to present by May 1st at 5pm PST.
EdmodoCon 2013 will be August 7, 2013 and looks to be another huge undertaking. Last year over 11,000 educators from all 50 states and 117 countries participated in EdmodoCon 2012 and learned how fellow educators around the world use Edmodo with their students.
If you are considering submitting a proposal, Edmodo asks you to consider the following:
What to Know Before You Submit
This year all selected presenters will present live from Edmodo headquarters in San Mateo, CA. Before submitting your proposal, please consider the following will apply if you are selected:
- Camera friendly - We’re live streaming the event and you will present on camera
- Travel ready - You will present from Edmodo HQ in San Mateo, CA (both flight and accommodations will be paid for by Edmodo)
- Two-days - You will need to be on-site at Edmodo HQ, Tuesday, August 6 – Wednesday, August 7, 2013
This sounds like a fantastic opportunity to make a difference in the lives of educators and their students around the globe. All sessions will be live streamed and recorded for the entire community of Edmodo users to view and participate in the accepted sessions. You can access the proposal form here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDY0WHRfQzFuNzRrQW96d1RBbHJRTlE6MQ.
What are you waiting for? Get started on your proposal!
Increased Technology Use Impacts Learning
As technology use becomes more ubiquitous in classrooms around the globe, the need for professional development and enhanced infrastructures to handle additional devices comes into play. Quality professional development that helps teachers feel comfortable taking risks, try new hardware devices or software applications with students and positively impacts student achievement is essential to implementing successful technology initiatives. There are a variety of ways to provide quality professional development as well as an assortment of devices to use in the classroom to facilitate instruction integration technology into a teacher’s daily curriculum.
The increased use of technology has changed the ways teachers and students learn, interact and connect with another. Student engagement, motivation and excitement about learning is increased and student achievement and performance is directly correlated to the effective use of technology seamlessly embedded in classroom instruction. Research continues to demonstrate and prove this to be true and the naysayers are retiring, leaving the classroom or eventually falling by the wayside paving the way for dynamic teachers to truly make a positive difference in the education of students on a daily basis through the increased use of technology in instruction.
The infographic below shows the increased use of technology and the ways teachers are using technology in classrooms. It is an exciting time of learning with technology for teachers and students alike. Feel free to share the following infographic as I have included the embed code and referring website below the infographic.
Embed code:
Please Include Attribution to OnlineUniversities.com With This Graphic
<img src=”https://s3.amazonaws.com/infographics/130315TeachersloveTechFinal.jpg” alt=”What do we Know Infographic” width=”500″ border=”0″ />
Source: http://onlineuniversities.com
DEN Virtual Conference – Saturday, April 20th
Classroom 2.0 LIVE will not meet this Saturday, April 20th so that everyone can attend Discovery Educator Network (DEN)’s free online Virtual Conference. You can register at http://virtlivecon.com and find out more about the presenters and schedule for the day.
The theme of the conference is ‘Connecting Communities‘ and the schedule begins at 9am EST with an opening keynote from Suzie Boss talking about connecting classrooms and communities using project based learning. The DEN blog describes the virtual conference as,
The theme for the Spring VirtCon is Connecting Communities. From Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) to classroom communities, we’re all more connected than we’ve ever been. To that end, we’ve partnered up with some incredible educational organizations, which you can learn more about on the Community Partners page.
What can you expect from the VirtCon?
- Three keynote presentations (9:00am, 12:00pm and 3:00pm ET)
- Four slots for concurrent sessions (10:00am, 11:00am, 1:00pm and 2:00pm ET)
- Every session will be broadcast LIVE with a full video feed
- Dozens of F2F events to attend around North America and the world
- All sessions will be archived and available immediately following the presentation
The conference is free to attend and there will be many face to face (F2F) sessions supporting the virtual conference. In order to attend virtually or face to face, you must register and the link to register is here: http://virtconlive.com/register?return=%2F.
Many locations throughout the US and Canada will have live face to face events to watch and discuss the sessions in an open forum. You can find out more information about the local events in your area at this link: http://virtconlive.com/locations.
If you have additional questions, Steve Dembo from the DEN sent out this information in an email today. Be sure to check out the free teaching materials offer listed below from Simple K12:
- How do I attend the virtual keynotes and concurrent sessions?
- The schedule of presentations is at http://virtconlive.com/presentations. On the day of the event, all you need to do is visit that page, click on the presentation you want to view, and the livestream will appear their at the appropriate time.
- Do I have to attend a Face to Face location?
- Nope! If you want to attend at home in your pajamas, you are more than welcome to. But if you DO want to join your fellow educators in-person, there more than 40 locations that you can attend!
- Is it too late to register for a Face to Face location?
- Not quite yet, but register ASAP. Just go to http://virtconlive.com/locations and fine one in your area. Click on “Register to attend” and that will sign you up.
- I think I’m already registered to attend a Face 2 Face location. How can I check?
- Visit http://virtconlive.com/locations, scroll down to the event you want to attend. If you don’t see “Register to attend” checked, and don’t see your profile listed there, then you aren’t. All you need to do is make sure that is checked and you’re good to go. If you are having technical issues, reply to this email and we’ll get you taken care of.
- Will I get a certificate of participation for this event?
- Yes, each session will have a unique certificate of participation provided. While we cannot guarantee credit from any state, district or organization, you will be able to print out a certificate of attendance with your name on it.
- Will archives of the presentations be posted?
- Yes! Just a few minutes after each session ends, the archive will be posted to the presentation page. Simply find the session on http://virtconlive.com/presentations and click the presentation name that you are interested in. As soon as the presentation is completed, the archive will be posted there.
- Did you say something about a free offer from SimpleK12?
- FREE Premium Resources Available: Special Offer From SimpleK12! SimpleK12 is offering 3 of their most popular teaching resources to all registered attendees – completely FREE! Click here to learn more.
I am currently a DEN STAR educator and encourage everyone to become a STAR educator. You get great training, perks and access to fantastic resources for use in the classroom with students or teachers. If I have a question about DEN resources or need an idea for technology project, all I have to do is ask the DEN community or join the DEN Twitter chats on Thursday evenings at 7pm CST and I am inundated with support and ideas instantly! Check it out at http://community.discoveryeducation.com.
Note: at the time I wrote this, the PDF about web tools was NOT free.
Snapchat isn’t What it Claims to Be
Ever heard of the app ‘
‘Snapchat”? The app claims that you can take pics and set a time limit that the image is visible to those that you send the picture to. This isn’t exactly the case as anyone can take a snapshot or screenshot of the image and keep the photo permanently, share it with others or print the image. This can be disastrous depending upon the nature of the pictures sent and who the recipients are. This is especially dangerous for teens thinking they may be sending a photo that will instantly disappear after a set time.
The developers describe the “Snapchat” app as the following:
Real-time picture chatting is finally available on iPhone®!
Snapchat is the fastest way to share a moment with friends.You control how long your friends can view your message –
simply set the timer up to ten seconds and send.They’ll have that long to view your message and then it disappears forever.
We’ll let you know if they take a screenshot!
Build relationships, collect points, and view your best friends.
Snapchat is instantly fun and insanely playful. Show your friends how clever you can be and enjoy the lightness of being!
My presumption is that the Snapchat app was created to send inappropriate pictures that would ‘disappear’ after a pre-determined amount of of time and no one would be able to see them again. Teens may have no idea that if they are ‘sexting’ photos, the photos may not necessarily disappear from the recipient as the app claims.
Snapchat describes their app as the following:
We’ll let you know if they take a screenshot!
while part ways down the page there is a disclaimer that reads,
Please Note: Even though snaps are deleted from our servers after they are viewed, we cannot prevent the recipient(s) from capturing and saving the message by taking a screenshot or using an image capture device. (bolding was by blog post author – not Snapchat)
So which is it: does the photo disappear ‘forever’ or is it like sending any other photo that can be passed on to anyone? Obviously the question is more of a rhetorical one as the photos can definitely be captured and shared or printed regardless of what the app description says.
Teens think they are safe in sending inappropriate photos as it will disappear after the amount of time they set before sending the photo using Snapchat. I presume their disclaimer is to prevent them from being sued if someone takes advantage of an inappropriate photo received and uses that photo in a slanderous or malicious manner. It is very easy for someone to capture or take a screenshot of the photos sent on any type of mobile device.
This app demonstrates the importance of making it clear to students that things posted to the internet or used to send an item to someone else using the internet or any app truly are there forever. It is paramount that teens be made away of this and emphasis placed on creating a positive digital footprint. Stressing to students that colleges and employers will search online for images, articles, and postings that include potential candidates and that anything posted online most likely will be visible to those doing the searching even if the items are deleted or taken down.
Students can sometimes have a difficult time understanding or accepting this and think they won’t get caught or they can delete the items and no one will be the wiser. Unknowing adults fall into this trap too as there are tons of news articles online and offline about these types of incidences involving the sharing of inappropriate photos sexted to another person. Hopefully the more aware we are as educators and share information about dangerous apps like Snapchat, apps that seem innocuous but can be used in ways that can damage a person’s reputation, career or life forever, the fewer incidences will occur and less dangerous apps like Snapchat will be created.
Wallwisher is Now Padlet with New Features!
If case you weren’t aware of the change, Wallwisher has changed its name to Padlet. Wallwisher is a site where people can post sticky notes pertaining to various topics. I received an email today that you can now export your Padlet in a variety of forms for offline use or storage. This is great news as sometimes viewing small versions of Padlet (Wallwisher) was difficult as not all of the sticky notes were visible.
According to a recent email from Padlet,
Yes, you read it right. From today onwards, you can export your Padlet Walls to image, PDF, Excel, or CSV formats. Simply, click on the Share/Export button on the sidebar and choose the right option. In fact, you can even get a printer friendly version of the Wall in the browser itself!”
This is an excellent option for sharing a Padlet via a blog post, wiki page, or host of other means online without being limited to just the Padlet website. In the event a content filter blocked the site, the ability to export, embed or even print the full Padlet is a feature that will definitely enhance the use of Padlet!
I thought the Padlet shown below was a great idea. The Padlet was created by the Padlet crew but you could create a similar Padlet of the travels of a character in a novel study or plot the course of Lewis and Clark’s expedition. Check it out and share your Padlets in the comments section below!
Texas Proposes Legislation for Funding Firearm Training for Teachers
I recently received a legislative update from the Texas legislature about a bill securing funding for training for teachers to carry a concealed handgun on Texas school campuses.
According to an article from an NBC TV channel station in Dallas, the Lt. Governor of Texas is supporting this legislation.
Reading, writing and revolvers could become a reality in the classroom for Texas teachers, and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is backing the idea.”
Need for Security Measures
While I concur with the need for secure classrooms and extra measures to ensure the safety of all educators and students on a campus, I am not sure this is a valid idea. The person with the handgun could be overpowered and the gun be taken away and used against the owner of the handgun. Students may find out their teacher or staff member carries a handgun and take the gun away and use it against other students or campus personnel. There are a variety of situations that can inflict more violence on a campus rather than securing the students and faculty.
“With the increased violence we’ve seen in public schools in recent years, we must do everything we can to protect the safety and well-being of our most precious possession — our children,” Dewhurst said in a statement.”
This legislation doesn’t seem to be clearly thought out with the extent of the consequences fully considered in my opinion. Rena Honea, head of Alliance-American Federation of Teachers (AFT) in Dallas, states,
“If a child were to be able to get a hold of that gun — whether it be curiosity or an intentional thing; say it was an older student, an innocent child or an innocent bystander or a school employee — their life could be lost,”.
This newscast excerpt below gives further details about the proposed Texas Senate legislation.
View more videos at: http://nbcdfw.com.
What are your Thoughts?
Some say that had the teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary had handguns they could have thwarted some of the deaths that resulted in the campus shooting tragedy. What are you thoughts on this proposed legislation? Harmful or helpful for educators to have handguns? Let me know what you think.
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