Teaching in the Age of Siri

Siri on the iPhone and similar kinds of technology allow anyone to ask a question and get a spoken and visual response. If this technology keeps evolving and students can get the answers to questions posed to them by teachers or found on assignment sheets or quizzes, what does this capability mean for teaching and learning?

Today, I read a post, Teaching in the Age of Siri that really caught my attention. The example offered is of Siri answering complex math questions. Yes, the technology can do this. Take a look at the post for yourself. Here is a quick display of a smartphone answer to a math question, but the principle applies to any discipline and to any age group of learners. This example just happened to be posted by a math teacher.

 

Please come back and post your responses about what this kind of technology means for the future of education?

More on the iPad

Some earlier posts questioned the use of iPads in the classroom. To counterbalance the argument, I offer this SlideShare, featuring some highly productive ways to use the iPad. Which of the uses/apps would you consider implementing, assuming you had a class set or a few iPads for classroom use?Why did you make these selections?

 

62 interesting ways_to_use_an_i_pad_in_the_cla from deang33

Looking for a Quotation to Spice Up Your Teaching

Take a look at the Quotes and Famous Saying at the Quotation Page, which organizes quotations by subject and author.

 

Let us know what you think of the organization of the site and if this is a site you would use. If you find a quotation, you like, let us know what it is and why it speaks to you? What specific sources do you use to find quotations to add spark to your teaching?

Twitter Now One of Top Social Media Used in Classroom

Check the infographics found on 

The 6 Hottest Teaching Trends (And How Teachers Are Adopting Them)

to see the trends of social media use in schools. In addition to Twitter, other popular social media platforms include Pinterest and Facebook, but most surprising of all is Google+, which tops the list. Here is the infographic illustration,

but also check the other Infographis on the 

The 6 Hottest Teaching Trends

Any surprises here? Which of these social media would you consider adopting in your teaching? Are any of the results displayed in varied infographics on the Eudemics posting of the 6 trends a surprise to you?

You're Never Too Young to Blog

Here's a kindergartener's blog, Lucy Learns, created with blogger. Note the embedded videos. Way to go Lucy!

Looks to be another teacher in the making. What do you think?

 

Understanding and Using Hashtags on Twitter

Once you know the kind of information you want to search for on Twitter, merely use the search box and type in a word or term.

But for finding people or organizations of interest to you, it is helpful to know of specific hashtags. The following post with an infographic has a list of hastags and what each represents.

Trends | Infographic: Hashtags in Education

The neat thing about the infographic is that you can also see which educational hashtag groups are considered the most popular and find new ones to check.

Let us know which hashtag groups you already use and which you might consider using in the future. Also. remember when you're tweeting to use hashtags to spread your tweet to a wider audience, increasing the likelihood of getting replies and carrying on a conversation.

Animoto Created for Final Class Meeting (Educational Research)

via animoto.com

In celebration of completing the course Educational Research, EDUC 515, at University of Saint Joseph College, I made this video to visually represent each student's research proposal topic. During our last class, when students will present their proposals, we will take a few minutes to view the video. We will also have cake and a grand celebration. This course requires rigor, commitment, sustained research and writing, and lots of revision and editing. Cheers and congratulations--we accomplished it all 8 weeks.

ooVoo Worked Better Than Skype

Today, I did a four-way video chat, with three elementary school classes, and I was the 4th. It worked perfectly. I could clearly see the classes, and we all heard each other with no problems. I am including a picture of the computer screen so you can see that four screens were on at once. There is also a shot showing the teachers who logged in for the chat.

I liked the ease with which all locations could be shown on all of our computer screens. The students were really excited. The classes involved in the project, and there will be more than three, will be writing a collective Halloween story using their blogs. They will then celebrate in a final Halloween ooVoo chat. What a great way for students to connect in different locations. At least two of the schools are in Connecticut, and two are in Canada, in language immersion schools, where they learn in both English and French.

Would you ever be willing to do a multiple site video chat with other classes in your teaching? What benefits do you think students can gain?

Easy Tool to Use to Edit Images: PicMonkey

Take an image or photo you have and upload it to PicMonkey. The best way to see what this site lets you do is to work with the tools. You'll find tools for cropping pictures, changing the color tones and textures, and other special effects. Once you finish your editing, you can add a text box. Your finished picture can be saved or screen captured to import into a social media site (e.g., Facebook) or inserted into your website or blog. You can also email the picture to someone. In the first photo, I just changed the color tone. The next two illustrate how I changed the original photo I took at the San Fran market to another color tone. The final two photos I doctored considerably to show some of the various effects.

If I had more time, I would add photos showing how the site allows for correcting blemishes and erasing facial wrinkles. Although some features on the site are for a fee, many are free. Photo editing sites like Photo Shop can get costly, and some of the same editing can be done with PicMonkey for free. Plus, PicMonkey is easy to use and intuitive in nature. Try it out, if you haven't. If you used it, let us know what you think. If you're using it for the first time, come back and post a comment to give your reaction.

Project Based Learning: Distinguishing Characteristics

Image: 

Let's not confuse assigning a project with project-based learning. This post, 12 Ways to Know If You're In a Project-Based Learning Environment addresses the issue. Read through it, and see if you agree with the 12 premises. Where does your teaching style fall in terms of project-based learning?

So How Are Students Using Weebly to Create Websites

I found some examples of high school students' website ePortfolios created with Weebly. For now, I am posting a link to find the examples from the 2011-2012 school year, as that will give you ideas of completed website ePortfolios. This link will direct you to a Wiki page maintained by Vicki Davis. On that page, you will find students' names. Click on their links to access the website ePortfolios. Then please take some time to return to this blog post to let us know what you discovered about how the students are using ePortfolios.

ePortfolios from Westwood High School Students

Here's a screen capture photo of one student's homepage:

http://rachelh416.weebly.com/

 

Managing Classroom Behavior

I've been hearing a lot recently about a technology tool DoJo for managing student behavior. I was wondering what others thought of the concept. Here is a link to an article to read about DoJo and a direct link to the website for Dojo. Check out what DoJo is, and let us know what you think.

Checking Out DoJo

DoJo: Behavior Management Software

Image credit: http://www.classdojo.com/

Mrs. Davidson's Kindergarten Blog and Smilebox

Learn about how one kindergarten teacher, Sharon Davidson from Vermont, uses her blog to showcase what her students are doing. Her classroom blog is at Mrs. Davidson's Kindergarten.

Mrs. Davidson  also uses Smilebox to create slideshows and movies of what students are learning. While at her blog site, play some of the embedded Smilebox shows to see the value of this tool for showcasing student learning. There is a ton of resources to explore on her blog, so spend some time on it. Then share what you find and like. Follow Sharon Davidson on Twitter @kkidsinvt

 for frequent updates, and consider bookmarking her Mrs. Davidson Kindergarten blog to catch new posts.

To learn more about Mrs. Davidson, also check this interview: KidBlog in Action! Classroom Q and A with Kindergarten Teacher Sharon Davidson.

Some Tools to Check Out

While browsing around today, I came across an educator's website, Mrs. Mac 2.0, and found on one of the web pages her recommendations of six basic tools for students to use.

Student Tools--check this page on the website to access hyperlinks to each of the 6 recommended sites for student use. 

These student tools are likely ones you know about, but just the same, see if there are any that are new to you. 

I have used all these tools but Domo Animate. Which of the tools have you used? Which would you check out?

Mrs. Mac 2.0 created her website with Wix. As you browse around Mrs. Mac. 2.0 Wix's website, let us know what you think about creating a website with Wix, compared for instance to Weebly or Google Site. Here is a direct link to Mrs. Mac 2.0 website Homepage.

50 Creative Ways to Use Skype in the Classroom

I tweeted out a link to this resource, 50 Creative Ways to Use Skype in the Classroom, but wanted to ensure all the ideas were reviewed. Review the many ideas, and consider how you might successfully implement Skype in your own classrooms. There is plenty to mull over in the list, so you're sure to find something. 

 

 

Killing Two Birds with One Stone: SlideRocket and Evernote

To see one potential use of SldeRocket and to learn about Evernote, check this Slide Rocket presentation about Evernote. Let us know what you think of each tool. The presentation is Evernote: Remember Everything.

Is the iPad Worth It? Is it the Wave of the Future

Check out this video. With all this hype about iPads in the classroom, we need to hear and discuss multiple viewpoints. After you watch the video, post your responses. Do you agree with the points that Matthew Gudenius projects in his video, Just Say No to the iPad?

The Teaching Channel: What a Resource!

The Teaching Channel is an excellent place to find videos for your professiolnal development and for powerful lesson plan ideas. The site is organized by subject areas, grades, and topics.

I just watched a fantastic video on the siteMovies Made Easy with Technology, which highlights the ease with which young children are making movies in their school's computer lab.  

I can almost promise you if you check this site and search around, you will find phenomenal teaching ideas. Spend some time on the site, and let us know what you find. 

Top Ten Web Tools

Top Ten Web Tools listed on this post are ones to check into. While on the site, Ed Tech Toolbox, browse around further to learn of other web tools. Let us know what you find of interest to you in your teaching or that you might recommend to others. 

New Presentation Tool: SlideKlowd

Have yet to try it, but SlideKlowd, despite its awful spelling, is getting a lot of attention. Edudemic recently reviewed the tool and its advantages compared to other presentation tools. Check this write up on Edudemic:

New Presentation Tool Lets You Easily Keep Students Engaged