Edmodo

I attended the EdmodoCon 2013 Wednesday and came away from this online conference pumped and excited to get those Chromebooks out of the cart and into my third graders hands as soon as the school year starts.  I've wanted to use this online networking application for teachers and students for about two years.  Now that I will hopefully start the school year off with 1:1 Chromebooks I am positive that the Edmodo platform will be so useful for all subjects in my class.

ALL learning materials can be located in one learning space that is accessible to teachers, parents and students.  The possibilities are endless.  There are so many positives with this program that I can hardly wrap my head around all of them.  Because of this intimidation I feel, I will try to focus on just a few aspects of Edmodo and take baby steps until I feel comfortable with it.  Thankfully, I have a couple Tech Ed friends I can rely on for assistance when needed.  Thank you Jennifer Bond and Terrie Morrow!!!!

I look forward to assigning assignments though Edmodo and having the students submit their work through this platform.   I can't wait to create and store on Edmodo exploration stations with non-fiction texts and digital media for students to investigate to make their own conclusions about real world matters.  I can't wait to make separate groups for mystery book clubs that have the potential to be shared with other third grade classrooms around the world on Edmodo.  I look forward to participating in The Global Read Aloud with my students on Edmodo.  I also look forward to making mini-quizzes on Edmodo as an exit slip after a concept has been introduced to see if my students have comprehended the way I had hoped.  The quiz feature even allows students to skip or flag a question to come back to later if needed.  I can't wait to try the Goanimate app available in Edmodo's own app store along with a few others that looked beneficial to my students.  I look forward to joining educator communities within Edmodo, to make connections with teachers who are passionate about their job and want to share resources, just like me!

Summer's Almost Done - Time to Think Technology Education

As I was sitting at a local restaurant enjoying a lunch out on a week day, I discovered I am ready to get back to school and start thinking about implementing educational technology.  There weren't very many customers.  Everyone was at work and I felt lucky to have the time off to spend with my kids.  I couldn't even recall what day of the week it was, which means I was totally immersed in my summer vacation relaxation.  We sat next to a large table of retired, elderly men who must have just finished a round at the nearby golf course.  They were quite loud and I found myself eavesdropping on their conversations, especially when the topic of education was brought up.

One of the gentlemen expressed his concern about a recent technology bond that was passed in the community and said something like, "They don't need computers at school.  They can just play on their own when they get home."  And then the conversation continued about all the fancy gadgets their grandchildren have that could perform such tasks that seemed magical and impossible.

I wanted to interrupt the conversation so badly and express my opinion on the importance of technology in the world we live in and the future of our students, but I didn't want to seem rude.  It is amazing to me that so often technology is viewed as a play thing even though the careers of the future are going to require more than a basic knowledge of it.  As I left the restaurant and have been reflecting on this eavesdropping experience, I wish those fine gentlemen could see this video that I have watched so many times:

Or look at this infograph:

Anyways, as the school days approach I am changing modes in my brain and am starting to get excited about ways to not only implement educational technology, but also to create a learning environment that will prepare my students for a technology enriched future.