9 Links on EdTech and Rethinking Strategy

1. Slidedeck from George Couros’ presentation on Engaging Parents in the Process of Learning. http://www.slideshare.net/gcouros/involving-parents-in-the-process-of-learning-ties13  George Couros was at the TIES conference this year to talk about how he views the role of being a principal. He wasn’t a keynote speaker, so you had to seek him out. He talks about supporting teachers, interacting with students and parents in a very straight forward format. His ideas seem simple and convincing, so I thought I would share his slidedeck of his presentation.
2. Ed Tech Integration Is a Low Bar. http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/teaching_ahead/2012/02/integration_is_a_low_bar_support_teachers_to_redefine_their_clasrooms.html?override=web this is an older blog post from Chicago Public School’s Jennie Magiera on 2/2012 that talks about setting a bar for “Technology Integration” across a district. Her article brings up some very valid points about adding technology to a teacher’s instructional plate as just another checkbox. Being almost two years old, I found the article to be short, to the point, and interesting to look at the ways our current district’s are trying to integrate technology.  
3. Ed Tech Frameworks: Why I Don’t Use TPACK or SAMR with my Teachers. http://www.edtechcoaching.org/2013/11/ed-tech-frameworks-why-i-dont-use-tpack.html from fellow midwesterner Krista Moroder over by Milwaukee. Many schools spend a lot of time working with SAMR and TPACK models, or fighting over which one is better. Krista wrote this post last October about her approach to EdTech in the classroom, and how the idea of using technology to make you more efficient or effective could be a better way to start than a prescribed framework for EdTech integration.
4. Digital badges bust out of school-defined learing http://www.educationnews.org/technology/julia-steiny-digital-badges-bust-out-of-school-defined-learning/ A longer article, discusses the idea of verifying someone’s skills through an online course or test in order to teach or obtain a certain position. I thought this article fit very well with our current course, and at least provides a little overview of the ideals and thoughts behind, “Digital badges” along with what that really means to the real world like us.
5. 5 Things to Rethink http://jakes.editme.com/rethink by David Jakes. A former director of technology in a large Chicago suburb, David Jakes spends time designing innovative workspaces, and apparently speaking on them at the Midwest Google Summit this past fall. His entire focus is on the design of a learning space, which ultimately translates into changing the design of a few teaching strategies. This article gives a five different topics for all teachers to think about ways to redesign in their school system. Most of which are not too far fetched.
6. Technology is not a magic bullet.  http://cevans5095.blogspot.com/2013/11/technology-is-not-magic-bullet.html While not a new idea, this quick article is another reminder for anyone caught up in a converstation where you are trying to decide what device to buy your 20,000 (or maybe just 3,000) students and it seems like you might be missing the basics. Are teachers or learning ideals leading the drive, or just the technology? I often think it’s good to have little reminders to keep everyone from getting caught up in the flash, not to sound like a broken record all the time.  
7. http://everyfield.com/ A website that set out to map every sports field in the world. Yes, a web tool made the list as an example of using the internet for good, in very simple ways. How does this relate to you, you might ask? I bet your local fields have not yet been drawn or added to the map. Future class project. A local project with real world, online implications? Sounds fantastic!, you might say. If you can amp up student excitement that this website and mapping project really means something in the end, I think it could work. The 5-12 social studies license in me had to mention this site as I can’t help but investigate projects like this when I see them online.
8. Google+ Guide for Educators  https://docs.google.com/document/d/13LQkWSH104pwgjWvIXpXf6O8wi23zPG4hzcJ9I32in0/edit  Thinking about using Google+ with your teaching team or students? Here is a quick guide to help them get started and off the ground, without ever using anything like Skype or a video camera before.  
9. Lucidchart.com (webtool, App, Google Drive Add-on). Graphic organizer that harnesses the sharing and collaboration power of Google Drive. Auto-saves to Drive or no account needed to use it. Import photos, create collaborative graphic organizers in small or large groups. Develop mind-maps interactively between multiple devices with your class. You could even create a flow chart of YouTube videos.  Any questions?