Journal+Notes+for+Chats

Journal Notes for Chats Tuesday Chat Notes: [] This site contained book reviews of new/sigificant changes occurring in education. The featured topic today was the eBook, which has come of age and many believe will change reading for the better. iBooks Author (Apple software) makes it possible to use interactive features and rich media which "radically improve(s) the reading experience and promise(s) an impact comparable to the replacement of silent movies talkies." Jamie McKenzie, the featured author, recently created //The Next Best Thing,// an eBook he recently published. It is an iBook about new technologies schools can use today. This book can be purchased at [|The Next Best Thing]

Wed Chat: "7 Questions on Bringing Your Own Device" 1) Is your school trying to reduce cost? Maintaining IT is expensive. Can BYOD reduce cost? Most likely. 2) Does your school have tech-savvy creative teachers, more the "guide on the side" type of people? Many teachers teach as they learned (in isolation). Must "let go" and learn new ways. st This is where schools must put their resources. 3) How many teachers already own their own devices (iPhones, iPads, etc.)? Survey teachers and find out. 4) What projects or lessons are teachers using that includes technology? There are loads of teacher apps that can be used without reinventing the wheel. 5) What professional development is being done using mobile devices? (Prof devel is changing - fewer speakers/ more hands-on workshops. More focus on personal learning networks.) 6) What changes about the teacher role in a BYOD school? Now that just about anything can be Googled, the role of teacher is changing. Teachers become co-learners with students and not the sole expert of content. "The problem now is for students to kow what is authentic and valid and how to think critically on their own. Teachers need to reinvent what teaching is. The school needs ot support their experimenting and risk-taking." 7) SO what does the BYOD classroom look like? Student groups by topic. Noise in some parts of the room. Quiet in other parts. More projects. Less lecturing :) "Learning environments will be more creative and innovative."

Thur Chat - Rethinking Professional Development to reach ALL Teachers by Jim Vanidess This article focused on professional development, especially summer possibilities for teachers. _Face to face PD experiences _Online (asynch and synch) PD (Synchronous=live online like #edchat, twitter, [].) Other online sites can provide more reflective inquiry-based study _Professional groups (on-site and on-line) - [|www.isteconference.org], Nings, Google Sites, Google+ _Personal Learning Networks - author of article has about 200 in his PLN

Monday Chat - June 25 ("Facebook Considers Expanding to Users 13 and Under" Education Week) This article weighed the pros and cons of using social media in schools. One principal had found Facebook was one of the most efficient ways to communicate with parents. Facebook announced its plans to reach 900 million more users recently. Concerns: obvious potential for cyberbullying, lack of parental involvement, security concerns. Some say there are obvious connections to improving Internet citizenship. (Edmodo was mentioned as a great alternative, because of the security precautions built into it.) []

Tue Chat -- Jun 26 Published Online: June 12, 2012 Why Flipped Classrooms Are Here to Stay" (By Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams) Both authors teaching 26 years - flipped their chemistry classroom in 2006 at Woodland Park H.S., CO. Block scheduling (95 min every other day of class. Had their students watch one of their videos every other night (online, flash drive or on DVD) as HW - took notes, etc. Class time focused on labs that focused on in-depth scientific experiments. End-of-year test scores continue to go. Key points: include inquiry and project-based learning previously, early adopters of using videos as instructional tool (not only ones) Not all students come to school prepared for learning Helps "busy" students keep up (athletics, activities) Videos help all students succeed (watch and rewatch as needed) "A flipped classroom leverages technology to deliver low-level instruction and increase both student-teacher and student-student interactions. As flipped teachers, we spend our class time answering questions, monitoring experiments, probing deeper into the content, and guiding the learning of each student individually." Less discipline problems

Wed Chat - June 27 Apple iOS 6 Guided Access Boon for High-Stateks Testing with iPads (By Dian Schaffhauser, 6/12/12)

During its __Worldwide Developers Conference 2012__ in San Francisco this week, Apple introduced a new feature that addresses both user accessibility and testing needs when its mobile devices are used in schools. "Guided Access" allows for the lockdown of an __iOS 6__ device to limit its use to a single app. The feature disables the Home button and restricts touch input to certain areas of the screen. iOS 6, which is expected to be released in fall 2012, is compatible with iPad 2 and the next version of the iPad, as well as the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPhone 4S. Apple touted Guided Access as being especially useful to students with disabilities such as autism, since it can help them remain on task and focused on the current content. The feature also will surface as an important one in schools with iPad programs that hope to use the tablet devices for state-mandated testing. By being able to lock down the environment, educators will ensure that students won't be able to go outside of the high-stakes online testing environment, for example, to access a browser. That's an important consideration as the Common Core for State Standards are introduced in schools all over the country and the two assessment consortia--__Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium__ (SBAC) and __Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers__ (PARCC)--[|introduce their state-created online assessments starting in 2014]. One education technology company already has plans for Guided Access. Immediately following Apple's keynote news, __Pearson Education__ announced its intention to use the new feature to bring __TestNav__ to the iPad soon after the release of iOS 6. TestNav is Pearson's online test delivery system. Current versions of the application work on Macintosh computers running OS X version 10.4 or later and Flash. iPads aren't currently supported. (The program also runs on Windows and Linux machines.) In a statement, the company said, "With the new capability of Apple's Guided Access feature for the iPad, we look forward to working with increasing numbers of educators in all states and districts to accelerate the transition to innovative assessment--and moreover to expand access to digital learning for all students." Another accessibility-related feature announced in iOS 6 is integration of VoiceOver, a screen reader for blind and low-vision users with three Apple components: Last, Apple said it was working with "top manufacturers" to introduce "Made for iPhone" hearing aids for the iPhone 4S that will deliver a "power-efficient, high-quality digital audio experience." No release date was attached to that announcement. About the Author //Dian Schaffhauser is a writer who covers technology and business for a number of publications. Contact her at dian@dischaffhauser.com.//
 * Maps, the company's newly announced mapping and navigation app;
 * AssistiveTouch, a feature that replaces hardware buttons with software equivalents for easier navigation, introduced with iOS 5; and
 * Zoom, Apple's screen magnifier.