THE Journal May 2013 Page 9 <p> COLLABORATIVE TECHNOLOGIES David Raths With the help of browser- based software, students in BYOD districts can be on the same page even if they have different devices. Crossing the Device Divide This is the fifth in a six- part monthly series examining how different technologies can help schools enhance collaboration among students. Previous installments have covered social media, configurable furniture, interactive devices, and apps to make iPads collaborative. hen school district leaders talk about the potential benefits of “ bring your own device” programs, they often mention budget savings and promoting personalized, mobile learning. They note that BYOD can expand the boundaries of learning beyond the classroom. But not many of these leaders mention enhanced student collaboration as a benefit of BYOD. Search restricted access SHARE with friend Share Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin linkedin Share on google Google Copy and Share Link Help Save Name
Using Technology | Electronic Portfolios in the K-12 Classroom The use of personal portfolios for assessment and presentation long has been a component of higher education. In fact, personal portfolios are a graduation requirement at many colleges and universities. Now, electronic portfolios have begun to enter the world of K-12 education as well. Learn what electronic portfolios are and discover how they can help you and benefit your students. "A portfolio is a purposeful collection of student work demonstrating the student's achievement or growth as characterized by a strong vision of content," according to Todd Bergman , an independent consultant and a teacher at Mt. Helen Barrett, an assistant professor and educational technology coordinator for the School of Education at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, provides another definition, one developed by the Northwest Evaluation Association: A portfolio is a purposeful collection of student work that exhibits the student's efforts, progress, and achievements in one or more areas.
ePortfolio Levels (K-12 Schools) - ePortfolios with GoogleApps Levels of ePortfolio Development in K-12 Schools Most of the research on the implementation of electronic portfolios has been in higher eduction. Most of the customized e-portfolio tools, both commercial and open source, have been created in and for higher education, whereas the paper-based portfolio process itself began in K-12 schools. The work below was developed for use in a K-12 school district for implementing electronic portfolios for students across the grade levels (ESUSD, 2009). Level 1 - ePortfolio as Storage Collection -- Creating the Digital Archive (regularly – weekly/monthly)A Focus on Contents & Digital ConversionDigital Conversion (Collection)Artifacts represent integration of technology in one curriculum area (i.e., Language Arts) The most basic level of creating an electronic portfolio is the collection of work in a digital archive, stored on a server, whether locally or on the Internet. Primary Google Tools: GoogleDocs & Picasa Level 2 - ePortfolio as Workspace
How (And Why) It's Time To Create Digital Student Portfolios Warning: True Confession of an Educator Ahead… I always find it quite confusing when educators tell me that students in their classroom are reading at a 7th grade reading level. What does that really mean? I wish that instead I had more valuable information that I could draw on at the beginning of the year: past work, past oral reading examples, all the things that would help me to make a difference much earlier than October. Digital Portfolios Digital Student Portfolios are becoming more important now than ever! There are many reasons to begin the journey to digital portfolios – here are just a few. We MUST Archive Student Work Students are creating amazing work in both analog and digital versions. Empower Students to Create Their Own Digital Footprint Students are building their own personal web presence with each post and status update they share. Students Can Expand On Work As Their Skill Base Improves Reflection, Reflection, Reflection Pushing the Envelope of Redefinition
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) in Schools - Considerations | Colour My Learning Many schools are looking to implement Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD) to give students and staff access to personal devices such as laptops, tablets and smartphones in classrooms. As technology becomes more and more affordable, students will undoubtedly have access to internet enabled devices at home for learning. However, due to schools budget constraints, the same cannot be said when they are in school. Technology never stands still and it is becoming increasingly hard for schools to keep up, especially on a limited budget. So, what would a school need to consider when implementing BYOD? Planning Stage The planning stage for a scheme such as BYOD is especially key in ensuring the agreement and support of all parties involved. Communication: Start conversations with all stake holders; governors, parents, teachers, students and identify the strengths and weaknesses of BYOD. Implementation Strategies Access Control: It is important that only authorised devices are allowed on the network.
3 Tools for Creating Digital Portfolios | Edutopia A digital portfolio is a collection of artifacts of learning that demonstrates growth, acquisition of skills or knowledge, and student creativity over time. As a mother, I knew I wanted to save these items so we could enjoy the memories, but as a teacher I was thrilled to discover the pride and joy my daughter felt as she reflected on her learning experiences. I realized that a digital portfolio could be more than simply a collection of things—it could be a vehicle for reflection and an opportunity for creating a sense of pride in students. Years later, I enjoy helping teachers across the country discover new ways to create digital portfolios with their students. With many choices in terms of organizational structure, procedures, and format, as well as a wide variety of applications to streamline the process of creating portfolios, there’s no one right way to create them. G Suite for Education Google’s suite of education tools has great potential for creating digital portfolios. Seesaw
The Beginner's Guide To Creating Digital Portfolios The Connected Student Series: Last week on the Connected Student Series, I discussed the ‘why’ of digital portfolios. It is imperative that in 2014, students be able to curate, archive and expand on the work they are producing in class. As an added bonus, student digital portfolios help students authentically learn important digital citizenship lessons. Where to Begin? Do NOT delve straight into the portfolio process. Now that you have included the parents…what type of portfolios are you looking to produce? The Three Types of Portfolios Process A process portfolio is simple. Showcase This type of portfolio seeks to highlight the students’ best work. Hybrid This is a combo of the two portfolios above and my favorite of the three. The Process Students can create and house their work using Google Drive, Dropbox or a folder on their desktop. Note: Remember there are probably more cameras in a classroom than people. Collecting Teachers collect work samples via a Google form. Publishing
The Teacher's Guides To Technology And Learning Welcome to the official guide to technology and learning by Edudemic! This part of Edudemic is meant to offer you, the teacher, some of the best and most popular resources available today. We’ve combed through hundreds of resources in order to narrow down our guides into something easy to read, easy to use, and easy to share. Below are links to the guides we have made so far. Just click on the title or image of each guide to view that particular resource. The Teacher’s Guide To Twitter Twitter has proven itself to be an indispensable tool for educators around the globe. The Teacher’s Guide To Flipped Classrooms We talk a lot about flipped classrooms on Edudemic. The Teacher’s Guide To Copyright And Fair Use Today, so much of our research happens online, and part of what makes the internet so wonderful is the ease at which it brings information into our lives. The Teacher’s Guide To Google Glass If you’re as excited as Katie and me about Google Glass, this guide is for you.
A Peek Inside Summit’s Personalized Learning Software Over the last three years, Summit Public Schools, a network of charter public high schools in northern California, has made a radical shift from a traditional high school model to an innovative, competency-based learning model. In this new model, students are responsible for independently mastering basic content, freeing up teachers to spend class time on projects and other tasks that promote deeper learning. Summit’s push to reimagine its programs was based on four core ideas: To succeed in college and in life, students must be self-directed learners. These ideas are no longer aspirational. In this article, we will do a guided tour of the PLP software to describe the student experience and explain how the school model works. The Big Picture Summit leaders felt it important to control the student experience and the pace of innovation. Teachers use Personalized Learning Time to mentor students and do weekly, 10-minute one-on-one check-ins with their advisees. Tracking Progress Across Years
Now Available: Comments, Forms and more on Adobe Reader for iOS & Android « Reader Mobile We’re pleased to announce the immediate availability of the latest update of Adobe Reader on iPads, iPhones, iPods and Android phones and tablets. This is a major update, and brings with it major functionality including Commenting, Form-filling and more, and all this for free! Watch the Adobe TV video below for a quick overview of the new features in this release, and read on for further highlights of what’s new in this release. Sticky Notes You can now create sticky note comments and place them anywhere on the document. Text Markups Reader 10.2 supports creation, modification and deletion of text markup annotations, including Highlights, Strikeouts and Underlines. Free-hand drawing tool Did you miss the scribble or drawing tool on your tablet or phone? Ink Signature Reader 10.2 also brings in a very useful feature that lets you place your signature on documents right within the Reader, that would otherwise require you to go via the Print > Sign > Scan workflow. Acrobat Forms PDF links
Educlipper.net & App Aviary launches free mobile app photo editor for iOS & Android Aviary is a great resource that I use constantly. I use the Falcon and Talon online image editors to grab images from the web and edit/crop/add effects to use with my blog and with lesson materials. There are browser extensions to use with the online apps and it's very powerful. A while back, Aviary launched an add-on for mobile devices that allowed you to use Aviary within mobile apps. The Aviary mobile app is free and features an easy-to-use, intuitive interface with effects, stickers, color balance, crop and rotate, brightness, contrast, saturation, drawing, text, cosmetic tools and more. This is a great mobile tool that can be used for photo editing and effects on iOS and Android devices by teachers, students, bloggers, and for personal use, greatly increasing the abilities of your device. Try it out for yourself: Related: Aviary Falcon - online image markup
21 Map Creation Tools for Students and Teachers Yesterday, I published a review of MapFab which is a fabulous, free, and simple tool for creating maps online. Writing that post got me thinking about all of the other free map creation tools that I've reviewed over the years. Google Maps and Google Earth are my favorite tools for creating maps, but not every school allows teachers and students to download it. And creating Google Maps does require you to have a Google account which is an obstacle to use in some schools too. Animaps is a service that was built for the purpose of allowing users to create animated Google Maps. Tripline is a service designed to enable anyone to record a trip they've taken or to plan a trip itinerary. Build A Map is a service that allows you to build layers on top of Google Maps. Scribble Maps is a fun and useful application for drawing and typing on Google Maps. UMapper is a custom map creation tool that allows you to create maps from just about any JPG, PNG, or GIF file.