Flipping Professional Development. Last week I worked with almost 100 educators from my district in the area of flipping the classroom over a period of two days.
These two sessions were lead by well-known "flipper", Brian Bennett, another colleague of mine, Brian Bobbitt, and myself. It was a fantastic two days and there was a lot of excitement. Being a part of these sessions allowed me to really think about the way we do professional development. I must admit, I enjoyed the second day a lot more than the first day.
It's not that the first day was a bad day and not because I was called out an hour early because my wife went to the ER for what turned out to be a kidney stone (She's fine now by the way). The first day we started off talking about the philosophy and rationale of the flipped classroom. We had a day off between sessions and we communicated through email about what we wanted to do differently. What if those of us who work in the area of professional development begin to flip our PD sessions?
Tech Tips and Tricks 1. Technology Magazine News. Twitter for Education? It’s Actually a Good Idea. Many people write off social media when it comes to education. They don’t think that the two can survive hand in hand with each other. A few weeks ago, I wrote about how social media can actually benefit education . Some may have noticed that Twitter was not on the list, and that wasn’t because it’s not beneficial—it was because Twitter is so beneficial to education that it deserves its own blog post. Engage Students.
Facebook for Beginners. Update: This post was updated October 2013 to reflect current statistics and tools.
Against all odds, you likely know someone who still hasn't succumbed to the lure of Facebook. Maybe you’re a beginner yourself. Or perhaps you just haven’t had the gosh darn time to explore every last corner of the world’s most expansive social network. Below, we offer a refresher course for those eager to learn more about the basics of Facebook. Let’s take a social stroll through the network’s main features, policies and culture norms. Even if you’re a pro, it’s fun to look at the platform through a beginner’s eyes. 1. Before you begin searching for friends, it’s important to complete your Timeline (aka your personal profile), which includes everything from uploading a profile picture and cover photo to outlining your employment history to determining your relationship status (OK, that’s optional). Check out these additional resources for building the best Timeline: 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Day 1: Session 1. Google. Day 1: AM Session. Getting started. What Do You Mean Evernote Could Get Better? Last time I wrote about the way I organize myself completely changed for the better with Evernote.
Really, I can't talk enough about this program and the endless possibilities there are for it. (Just look at the comments from that post.) In that post I gave a few resources for learning about Evernote and even fewer with how to use it in the classroom. Well, lots of people have sent me lots of great resources and I wanted to follow-up and post some more. These are sites, lists and ideas all for using Evernote for your personal use or in the classroom. Get Productive Fast With Evernote- Mark Stout contacted me about this great eBook he created about getting started with Evernote and then some of the more advanced features like integrating IFTTT.com. 10 Tips For Using Evernote Effectively- This recent article from ReadWriteWeb was a great addition to my Evernote resources.
The Evernote-Livescribe Connection- Last year at ISTE I was able to get my hands (finally) on a Livescribe pen. 50 Google+ Circles Teachers Should Know About.